why should your heartes be troubled You beleue in God well beleue also in me for though it shal so come to passe that I shal be betrayed to the Iewes I shal suffre be crucifyed and dye yea and furthermore it shal be nedeful that my deuine nature my strength and power be for a tyme hyd secrete vnder the crosse yet neuerthelesse I am in deede God of on and the sam substance with the father wherfore let neuer suche perturbacion in any wyse bee heard of among you for why my crosse shall not come but to the great aduantage and welfare both of you and also of all the worlde For doubtles this is a truth Many maÌ„sions in the fathers kyngdome that in my fathers house there are many mansions wher into he wyl receiue his seruauntes kepe theim also be glorifyed in them Furthermore both you and all the lecte are already predestinate vnto those mansions that is vnto eternall life NotwithstaÌ„diÌ„g as yet those mansioÌ„s are not perfect nor prepared as they must bee But if you wyll knowe howe they must bee prepared and made ready Marke my saiyng It is necessary that by my passion and my death I should fyrst abolishe and take away the kyngdome of death and synne Then that I should go vnto my father and receyue that my kyngdome whiche shall contynue for euer euen for this cause that I may the more better gouerne mayntayne and defend in that my kyngdome all that are my disciples Neither thinke you that I shal take this kyngdom to myne owne commodite onely for truely I wyll returne vnto you by my woorde and holy spirit and I wyl take you vnto my selfe that where I am you also may bee Ma. 10 I wyll not leaue you Orphalynges I loue you more dearlyer then to leaue you among so many Wolfes persecutyng you for my woorde sake onely bee you of a good comfort be nothyng afrayde Neither let this my passion that shal chance seme so great a meruayle vnto you Yea if ye wyl be my disciples knowe you assuredly that you must abyde lyke chance and fortune with me as I abyde Now what nedeth many wordes To go to the father to receyue the kyngdome You haue alredy hearde whether I must go that is vnto my father to receyue there my kyngdome You also know the way vnto my father so that in this matter there nedeth not many woordes Beholde after this maner Christ comforteth his Apostles against the slaunder of the crosse that shuld come and stablysheth them tellyng that his death and passion shuld be the perfect preparyng of those dwellyng places wherinto they should be receiued yea and also that all their saluacion ought to be fyxed in the same his mooste blessed death and passion Weakenesse and ignorance of man Secondarily here are set out two examples that is of the ignorance and weakenes of the Apostles For when Christe had sayd Whether I go you knowe and you knowe the way Sainct Thomas by and by sayd Lorde we knowe not whether thou goest and howe may we knowe the way But if one of these muste bee a lyer truely Thomas shal be the lyer and not Christ For had they not heard Christ often tymes say Mat 20 The sonne of man shal be betrayed to the princes of the priestes and Scribes and they shal coÌ„dempne him to death and deliuer him to the Heathen to be scorned scourged and crucified the thyrd day he shall ryse againe Furthermore were they vtterly ignoraunt of these thynges without knowlege when they sayd Lorde Ihon. 6 vnto whoÌ„ shal we go thou hast the woordes of eternal life and wee do beleue and we haue knowen that thou art the same Christ the sonne of the liuyng God Doubtles wee fynde here in theim a fayth but yet it hath this vnperfectnes that this faith as yet was not coÌ„firmed by the holy ghost nor yet tryed by any persecucion Euen so doth Philip also when Christ sayd If you knewe me doubtles you should knowe my father also c. Philip sayd Lord shewe vs the father and it suffiseth to vs. What meaneth this Would Philyp also then see the father with his corporall eyes or would he none otherwyse holde himselfe contented Suffiseth it not that Christ had sayd before vnto him If you had knowen me surely you should haue knowe my father also Verely in this matter appertainyng to the knowledge of God al men haue one affection neither can they do any other wyse Verely wee are blynde in this cause touchyng God We are blynd in maâ—ters of fayth Ioh. 3. and his honor except we be lightned by the holy gost and coÌ„forted in fayth approued by the crosse For that whiche is borne of the fleshe it is fleshe and it hath annexed and knyt to it selfe incredulitee and ignoraunce as examples through the scripture do euidently proue and as in this gospel also we may see it playnely set furth in thse Apostles Thyrdly wee shal nowe come to the answere geuen vnto the Apostle sainct Thomas whiche also we wyll wey diligeÌ„tly consider for in it is propouÌ„ded vnto vs the excedyng great goodnes mercy of Christ For though as yet thei wer rude ignorant in the matter of fayth yet Christ forsoke them not but in this his godly and most excellent answere so intreateth them that it may very well be perceiued that he desyred nothing so much as to procure their helth to bryng them vnto the knowlege of fayth Nowe what answere gaue he to them Christ is the way I am the way the truth and the life O worthy and excellent sentence worthy to be written eueÌ„ with golden letters in the heartes of all men But it is to be lamented that it hath so long tyme lyen despysed neglected and that so fewe haue in heartes apprehended and vnderstande it Mens wayes I pray you howe many wayes before tymes hath theyr been whereby we haue interprysed to obtayne eternal lyfe Surely I thynke in numerable For loke howe many heades so many wayes were inuented of our awne braynes to come vnto iustice eternal lyfe But these wayes in dede if they were conferred and iudged by the woorde of God were nothyng els but wrong pathes and false wayes out of the true waye whiche led vs not vnto eternal lyfe but to perpetuall condempnacion of death not vnto heauen but vnto hell in dede And these are the wayes that the Wyse man spake of saiyng Pro. 12. The waye of a foole is straight in his owne eyes But what sayth Christ to this Forsoth he sayth that he onely is the waye as he is in very deede and without doubt For by him we haue remission of sinnes righteousnes and eternal health and a free entraunce in vnto the father Neither is any man admytted vnto the fathers presence by any other mediatour or meane but by this Christe onely And he that wyll not
The hired seruaunt flieth bicause he is an hyred seruaunt and careth not for the sheepe I am the good sheephâ—rd and knowe my sheepe and am knowen of myne As my father knoweth me euen so knowe I also my father And 2 Tim. 2 Mat. 11 Mar. 10 Luc. 10. I geue my lyfe for the sheep And other sheepe I haue whych are not of this folde them also muste I bringe and they shall heare my voice and there shal be one folde and one shepeharde THE EXPOSITION The good shephard The hierynge IN this similitude firste of all a good shepeherd and a hyred seruaunte be compared and the nature and propertie of both be described But this is to be noted that this present gospel is part of the similitude which Christe in the 10. chapt of Iohn put forth to the Phariseis of the dore the sheepefolde the shepharde and the porter For the Phariseis herde and taught the lawe but they vnderstod not Moyses which did not all only require of them the outeward workes but rather the affection of the harte Wherof it came that they coulde not teache the rightousnes of faith that was accepted before god nor yet could print it rightly in peoples hartes Then for as muche as in the steede of this righteousnes they taughte the righteousnes of workes and soughte saluacion by an other meane then by the seede of Abraham promised vnto theim willing other also to seke the same Therfore Christ sayd not withoute a cause in the beginning of this similitude that they entred not in at the dore but that they were theues murtherers For there cannot be begonne or raysed vppe in the church greater mischiefe or murther then to teache to trust in workes Phil. 3. Dogges Of the which doctoures Paule speketh when he saith Beware of dogges beware of euel workers He calleth the false prophetes dogges that for theyr owne lucre and aduauntage wil not teache the people the righteousnes of faithe but the righteousnes of workes against the wholsome doctrine of Christe And Christe called theim hyred seruauntes Wherefore Forbycause they care not for the sheepe bycause they regarde not the helth and saluacion of the sheepe neyther wyll daunger them selues therfore And so it is written in the prophete Soph. 3 Her prophetes are lyghte persones c. For the hyred seruaunt tarieth while he findeth aduauntage but when he perceyueth none aduauÌ„tage he flyeth awaye ye thoughe the wolfe shuld eate vp all his sheepe But Christ doth not so for he saith I am a good shepehard c. Surely all only Christ is the good shepeharde for he hath got and obteyned for his sheepe through his death the pasture and feeding of euerlastinge lyfe Out of this office of Christ we may knowe what mynde Christ beareth toward vs. For he beareth vs such affection that he will saue vs and not destroye vs. Howe doth he confirme that vnto vs In feedinge dyinge Feedyng is in the scripture a common terme Feding and is as much to saye as to teache goddes word rightly without mingling therwith false doctrine as thou seeste in the laste chapiter of Iohn where Christe saithe Peter feede my sheepe And in the actes of the apostels Act. 1â— The holye ghoste hath sette you to be bysshoppes to feede the congregation of god With this feedinge with this doctrine hathe god fyrste serued his sheepe and afterwarde with his death and shedinge of his precious blode that they being saued for euer shulde not be a praye to the wolues Who to dye wolde not beleue suche a shepharde Who wolde desire other feeding Now compare Christ and the hiered seruaunte togyther Christe seeketh the commoditie and profyte of the sheepe The hierelynge seeketh his owne wealthe and commoditye The one hath the worde of lyfe the other of condemnacion The one quickeneth the other slayeth The one refresheth and comforteth the other chargeth and troubleth mennes consciences The one abideth with the shepe in al need and necessitye and the other flyeth away Briefely Christ is allonly the good shepeharde which thorough his doctrine and death hath made vs iuste righteous and hollye Secondarily wee haue here in this gospell a meruailous coÌ„fortable saying in that that Christe repeteth that he is the good shepeharde c. In the which wordes he declareth what thought and care he taketh for his sheepe that they be well kept and haue good feeding And that wee shulde vndoubtedly bee suer that he careth for his sheepe he ioyneth and addeth that he knoweth vs none otherwise then the father acknowledgeth him and hee the father For Christe and the father be one substance vndeuided so that Christ can not be seperated from the father nor the father from Christ For if Christe coulde be seperated from the father then coulde there not be one god And that meaneth the father Mat 17 when he sayeth Here is my welbeloued son in whome I delite heare him Whiche is euen as much to say as to heare obey Christ my son is to heare and obey me Lykewise here the son meaneth the same thinge when he sayethe Ioh. 1â— I and the father are one Also to Phylippe he saith Ioh. 14 Phylyppe he that seeth me seeth the father Hereoute thowe mayest lyghtelye gather howe that Christe acknowledgeth the father and lykewyse howe the father acknowledgeth Christe Nowe If Christ knoweth vs as he knoweth the father the father knoweth Christe so muste wee needes be one body and one substaunce with hym Yea euen his brethren Then when I am one body and one substaunce with Christe my lorde when I am Christes brother will not he defend me wil he forsake and leaue me withoute comforte No suerly but will knowe me and stand by me vntil the consumacion and ende of this worlde So that and if I as a shepe were in the middest of the wolues ther were no ieoperdy only yf this Christ wold acknowledge vs. But howe can I bring that to passe that I may be the brother of Christe and grafte in him and that I maye knowe hym as he knowethe me Or howe doth he acknowledge me Before the foundacion of the worlde was layde he dyd electe me and predestinate me to saluacion 1 Tim. 2 of his greate mercye withoute any deseruing of workes And after that he became manne he called me throughe his worde to the same saluacion so that yf I nowe beleue in him he and I bee one This to beleue frome the botome of oure hartes What is to knowe Christe is to knowe Christe in the whiche knowledge consisteth oure ryghteousnes and saluacion as yt is wrytten in the gospell of Iohn Ioh 17 Thys is the euerlastynge lyfe that they knowe the that thow only arte the trewe god and whom thou hast sente Iesu Christ The calling of the Heithen Thyrdly wee haue here the callynge of the Gentyles how that they shall come to the knowledg of theyr sinnes and to
nor the thinge that is holy Mat. 7 may not be cast before him but only must it be communicate to those that despair of their owne workes and strengthes that knowledg that they need the help and comfort of Christ We beleue rem ssion of sins Therfore also we confesse in our Crede that ther is forgiuenes of sins which we must needs beleue Now if we obtain remission of sinnes by the sheding of the blud of Christ as the blud flowing from hys syde testifyeth where is then the bragging of our workes wher ar our merites They are shut out excluded by the deathe passion of Christ Note how workes are cōcluded not that good works ought not to be doone but that they may not be ioyned with iustification which onli cometh by faith We muste in this behalfe giue Christe his own honor wholy perfectly apprehend his merite by faith so shall it come to passe that neyther synne nor death nor dyuel nor hel shal hurte the. And those good workes the fayth doth as in deed it ought to do good woorkes take them as frutes of fayth wherby the faith and sure trust of our hearts toward god is declared In like maner the water The water that flowed frō Christs syde declareth that Christe after his resurreccion would send his holy spirit that water of life wher with it is nedeful that the heartes of all the elect be purifyed And of this water dyd all the Prophetes prophecye especially Esaias when he sayd Esa 44 I wyll power water vpō the thyrsty streames vpō the dry ground I will power my spirit vpō thy seede my blessyng vpon thy braunche and they shall spryng burgenyng among the herbes as the salowes that grewe by the syde of the ryuer Accordyng to this Christ also crieth in the gospel of S. Ihon Who so thursteth let him come to me drynke Ioh. 7. He that beleueth on me as the scripture sayth stremes of water of life shall flowe out frō his belly And the Euāgelist himself expoūdeth this shewyng that it is ment of the holy gost for he sayth This spake Iesus of the spirit which those that beleue in him should receiue Christ loueth vs. He then that hath by theffusion of his most precious bloud obtayned for vs remission of all our synnes deliuered vs frō eternal death reconciled vs into the fauor of god his father that wtout any of our merites or deseruinges also hath promised to sēd his holy ghost whiche maye leede our heartes into the knowledge fayth of God thynke you he dothe not very heartely loue vs would our welfare Nowe seyng that he thus heartely wylleth oure welfare why should we not beleue in him why should we not acknowledge this so great loue Yet are there mē foūd the more pitie it is that ascribe more to their own merites then to Christ and therfore they cannot be thākeful whō doubtles at that day Christ shal therfore punishe according to their owne deseruynges Thirdly we haue here described who they were that buried Christ with what reuerence his dead body was brought vnto the earth Some man perchance would meruaile that Ioseph Nicodemus nowe dare aske of Pylate the deade bodye of Iesu whiche yet when Iesus lyued they durst not come at him The death of Christe begynning to conquer scant by night But nowe the frutes and vtility of Christes passion somwhat openeth it self she winge what shulde ensue the passion and deathe of Christ when a litle and a litle it comech to mennes knowledg both what manner a man Christ is and also how innocently and vndeseruedly he was persecuted by the Iewes condemned vnto the crosse And these two doubtles came after the true knowledge of god and his sonne Iesu Christ which now so manifestly do this humanitie vnto Christ contemned and crucified hauinge no respect that hee was so hated of the Iewes For that they here do it cometh of an imperfecte faith for they were yet far from the perfection that Paul speaketh of Rom. 1 saying I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of god vnto saluacion to euery man that beleueth But that they exhibited to Christ such reuerence honor that thei take him doune from the crosse and enbalmed hym with Myrre and Aloe with such spice they winde vp his body laye it gloriously in the sepulture it is an humane and gentle affection done according to the custome of the Iewes The estimation of the worlde of Christes deth sepulchre Deu. 21 And here note howe the deathe and sepulture of Christe is esteemed afore the worlde bothe his death and buriall are ignominious and shamefull For it is written in the lawe He is accursed that hāgeth vpon a tree Besydes this the blynde Iewes had none other opinion of Christ neither by his life nor in his death as it is euident vnto this day But before God this death buryall is honest and precious as also it is estemed amōg al that beleue whiche know assuredly that by that dispised death the beleuers are delyuered from synne death deuil and hel Doth not S. Paule say often tyme 1. Cor. 2 I haue knowen no man but Christ and euen the same that was crucifyed And this is an vndoubted trueth Note this earnestly gentle reader take awaye this contemptible death and buryal of Christ and you shal perceyue that all men must be compelled to dispayre and to fall into the daunger of the deuil On the other part set before your eyes the passion death and buryal of Christ apprehendyng them by true fayth as most precious iewels deuine treasures done for thee and thou shalt fynd thy cōscience able to resyst against all the assaultes of Sathan and also of synne And as Ioseph and Nycodemus by fayth shewed this humanitee vnto Christ so endeuor thy selfe by fayth that vnto sinne thou may bee dead buryed with Christ Rom. 6. and after agayne ryse through fayth with him For surely this pleaseth Christ and is necessary and very profytable vnto thy saluacion Fourthly we see howe contemtuously Pylate delyuereth Christ to be buryed forsyng not for him nothyng regardyng that he should ryse agayne the thyrd day The sentence of Infidels In this mynde are al the enemyes of the gospel and truth of God When they haue slayne the ministers of the worde then they thynke all thyng very well safe and all whyst as they would haue it Exo. 1.2.3 Euen so did Pharao with intollerable burthens oppresse the chyldren of Israel thynkyng by that meanes to stoppe the ordynaunce of God that the Israelites should not so much growe and increase but the more they were oppressed so muche more they grewe and multiplyed and at the laste by his owne crueltee he was his owne destruccion Euen so chaunsed it to Pylate and
beleue this lette him knowe it assuredly that he shall neuer comme vnto the father neither be partaker of eternal life Lyfe And I beseche you how shal he comme vnto the father that seketh other meanes to comme to him then by Christe Besydes that he rather geueth credence vnto false liyng then to the truth euen that trueth whereof Christe here testifyeth of affirmyng him selfe to be the trueth For I pray you Treuth what are all menne all mennes doctrynes all the studyes and counsels of menne if they bee conferred to Christe and his woordes Truely all lyers and mere lyes are all those thynges that are spoken without the woorde of God as the scripture testifyeth psa 115. Psalme Cxv. Euery manne is a lyar But of the woorde of God the scripture sayth Thy woorde is trueth Nowe if the woorde of God onely bee trueth Ioh 17. psa 118. then it necessarily muste folowe that whatsoeuer menne haue inuented without the worde of God it is lyes mere deceyuable iuglyng Howe can it be but truth seyng the to those that beleue in it Rom. 1. it is the power of God vnto saluacion and eternal health For to beleue the word of God is euen thesame as to beleue Christ For Christ is the same woorde and the woorde was made fleshe Ihon. 1. And to beleue Christe is so excellente and noble a thyng that it taketh away synnes and eternal death and for them geueth righteousnes and eternal life And thus it abydeth true that Christ sayd in this place I am the waye the truth and the life Fourthly consider also what Christe-sayd vnto Philip neither would Christ refuse him because of his imbecilitee or weakenes but rather instructeth him thus Philip he that seeth me seeth my father Philip would see the father Christ is very God but Christ would graue it not only in Philippes heart but also in all other his disciples heartes that he is one thyng and substaunce with the father one God equal with the father in maiestie and glory of a like strength wysedome with him This onely excepte that Christ for our infirmitees sakes to redeme vs was made mā and therefore asmuche as pertayneth to that he is made lesse then the father as it is wrytten in the viii Psalme Psal 8. Thou hast made him a lytle lesse vnder the dignitee of angels c. Philip sayth Christe he that seeth me seeth my father And furthermore I dwel in the father and the father in me Beholde howe earnestly Christ recyteth and bet eth into his disciples his deuine nature and essence with the father also requireth that thei shuld no lesse beleue on him Verely sayth he al that I do or speak I do it not or speake it of my selfe but the father that dwelleth in me he dothe those workes Therfore for the workes sake at the lest beleue me that I am in the father and the father is in me Furthermore Christ highly prayseth this fayth as he most earnestly requyreth it sayth Verely I say vnto you He that beleueth in me the woorkes that I do he also shall do them greatter thynges then these shall he do He shall do greatter thynges then these especially seyng that Christ goeth to the father to receyue his kyngdome and to sende the holy ghost Fayth askyng in the name of Christ obtayneth all thinges I beseche you nowe who date bee so impudent a beast or so styffe necked that he shall dare any thyng at all derogate or minishe the dignitee of fayth seyng that to the beleuer there are made such excellent promises Yea and furthermore here is made a comfortable and excellent promise vnto fayth that is to say that whatsoeuer she wyl aske in the name of Christ shal be geuē her Wherfore shal it be geuē Doubtles that the father may be glorifyed through the sōne And to speake briefely We must thus beleue of Christ that he is of the same essēce of the same power wysedome with the father so that he that beleueth not in Christ that man I say shal neuer come at the father nor at his knowlege For Christ is the way the truth and the life And also noman cōmeth to the father but by Christ as our sauiour Iesus Christe hath testified in many places of his gospel Wherfore that we may come to the knowlege of the father dearly beloued of the Lord let vs diligently apply oure selues to heare the worde of God whereby the true knowlege of Christ is geuē vnto vs. Who knowen and apprehended by faith we may be made parteners and obtayne eternal life Amen The gospel on the Ascencion of our Lord Iesu Christ day Marke 16. AFterwarde he appeared vnto the eleuen as they fat at meate and cast in their teth their vnbeleife and hardnes of heart because they beleued not theim whiche had seen that he was rysen agayne from the dead And he sayd vnto them Mat. 28 Go ye into all the worlde and preache the gospell to all creatures he that beleueth and is baptised shal be saued But he that beleueth not shal be dampned And those tokens shal folow them that beleue Actu 4.11.20 In my name they shall cast out deuils they ♣ Act. 2 and 19. shall speake with newe tongues they shal Luc. 10 and 18. dryue awaye serpentes And if they drynke any deadly thyng it shal not hurt them They shall lay theyr handes on the sycke and they shal recouer So then when the Lorde had spoken vnto them ♣ Lu. 24 Actu 1. he was receiued into heauen and is on the right hande of God And they went furth and preached euery where the Lord workyng with them * Heb. 2 and confirmyng the worde with myracles folowyng THE EXPOSITION SEyng that al thynges in the deuine scriptures ought well to be considered wayed this may not be ouerpassed but must diligently be noted and considered that the Euangelist S. Marke in this place where he descrybeth the ascēcion of our Lord Iesu Christ wherein also lyke at in his passion and resurrection consysteth our whole iustificacion maketh mencion of that synne for the which our Lord Iesus Christe so often before he ascended into heauen rebuked his disciples namely of theyr incredulitee and vnbelief Surely it must needes be that this is an heauye and great synne yea it is to bee estemed and thought a verye spryng welle fountayn of all mischiefe seyng that our sauiour Christ euen nowe when he would departe go to his heauenly father rebuketh it so earnestly in his Apostles For thus sayth the Euangelist At the last as the eleuen sat at the table he shewed himselfe vnto theim and rebuked their vnbeleife and hardnes of heart because they beleued not them whiche had seen him rysen Here you heare what synne this was namely Incredulitee And I pray you Vnbeleife is the spryng of all sin who is so shamelesse to
we dispaire of all our workes merites and vertues and esteme them as thinges that can not helpe vs and therefore the Prophete Esai sayeth Esai 63 that all oure iustyce or righteousnes are as a defyled clothe And thus dispairyng of our selues to seke our righteousnes in the merytes passion and death of oure Lord Iesu Christ onely of whom Ihon the Baptist gaue this true testimonye that he is the Lambe of God Ihon. 1. that taketh away the synnes of the worlde This fayth I say dothe apprehende by Christe remission of synnes iustyce and eternal life Neither may we in this matter admyt any worke of man except we would plucke away steale take frō Christ his glory Esai 42 whiche he wyl not geue to any other and so stealyng Christes honor burthen our soules vnto the perpetual death damnacion of our selues Surely it is an vndoubted trueth that a christian man must do good workes and haue an honest conuersacion and with good workes confyrme allow his fayth For who would deny this But to sette a fayth and confidence in those workes and to admit our merytes in the cause of our iustifycacion is in no wyse to bee permytted For by that meanes grace were no grace and that whiche before was atributed by verye right vnto the onely loue of God that should we then ascrybe vnto our workes merites Therfore Christ sayth in this gospell He that beleueth in the sonne of man shal not be iudged But he that beleueth not is already iudged because he beleueth not in the name of the only begotten sōne of God Fayth onely abideth in battayle of cōsciēce See ye that in the conflicte and battayle of the conscience fayth standeth sure and is not condempned nor iudged Contrarily that vnbeliefe is already cōdempned the sentēce of eternal damnacion is pronoūced against it For Christ wyl in this gospel as he doth in many other places of the scripture ascribe quietnesse of conscience and saluacion vnto faithe and the disquietnes of conscience perpetuall damnacion to vnbeliefe Thirdely Condemnacion bicause Christe spake of iudgemente and condemnaciō he now procedeth and declareth what is condemnaciō and saith And this is the condemnacion that the light is come into the world men haue loued rather darkenes then lighte And why For bycause their workes were euell Christe him self with his doctrine gospel is this light The lyghte Ioh. 8. as in another place he calleth himselfe saying I am the light of the world Whosoeuer foloweth me he walketh not in darknes The darknes Darkenes is our flesh nature mannes reason and vnbeliefe yea all the wisdome prudencie of man which doth not spring out of faith but spring frō our reasō without faith And now I beseche you to marke with me well at what point our reason our wisdome and prudence is wont to stumble at if it folow not the very word of god as his capitaine and leader Surely when Christ came into this world he was more redyer to saue help then to condemn nowithstanding that the father had giuen into his hand all iudgmente And truely the Iewes had wel eschaped this iudgement or eternall damnacion had by faith obtayned health saluation if they wold haue receiued Christ which is the light of the world and beleued his worde But what doo they They sette more by darknes then by lyght Iohn 1. And as Iohn saithe in the fyrst chap. of his gospel The light shined in darkenes the darknes comprehended it not Ther was no faulte in the lyght but a greate defaulte in the darkenes that receiued it not But what foloweth nowe out of this darkenes Forsoth this Those that neither knowlege nor learne their darkenes nor wyll not geue Christ his due honor they iudge and condempne themselues euen as Christe sayth Whoso beleueth not he is already condempned And truely it chaūseth so by most rihgteous iudgement to him that is vnfaythfull Incredulitee is iudged by his own self that is through vnbeleif For inasmuche as he doth euil and yet can not abide the light or to be reprehended it is right that his owne vnbeleife should iudge or condempne him But so is it not with the faythful man for he can abyde that his workes that are done in the truth shuld come to the light be tryed wayed by the worde of God and iudged by the rule squire of the woorde of God For how should he feare the light seyng that all his workes are done in God Cōsider it well For thus in euery place of the scripture life is ascribed vnto fayth and iudgement and condempnacion to incredulitee and vnbeleife God geue vs grace to receiue retayne with vs his light to the comfort of our soules Amen The gospel on the tewysday in the Whytson weke Ihon. 10. VErely verely I saye vnto you He that entreth not in by the doore into the shepe fold but clymeth vppe some other waye the same is a thefe and a murtherer But he that entreth in by the dore is that shepeherde of the shepe to him the porter openeth and the shepe heare hys voyce and Pro. 10. hee calleth hys owne sheepe by name leadeth them out And when he hath sent forth hys owne sheep he goeth before them the sheepe folowe hym for they knowe his voyce A straunger wyll they not folowe but wyll flee from hym for they knowe not the voyce of straungers This prouerbe spake Iesus vnto them but they vnderstode not what thinges they were whiche he spake vnto them Then sayde Iesus vnto them agayne Verely verely I say vnto you Iho. 14 I am the dore of the sheepe All euen as many as came before me are theues murtherers but the sheep did not heare them I am the dore by me yf any man enter in he shall be safe and shall go in and out and fynde pasture A thefe commeth not but for to steale kyll and destroye I am come that they myght haue lyfe and that they might haue it more aboundantlye THE EXPOSITION FOrasmuche as Christ our Lord sheweth in this gospell or similitude by conferryng theim together both what the euil shepeherd teacher is also howe he may bee knowen and on the other parte what the good shepeherde and teacher is and by what sygnes also menne may knowe him I thynke it mete fyrst to treate of the good shepeherde especiall for this cause that it is a thinge very profitable and necessary and also a matter of great waight importance For Christ describeth here the good shepheard so A preachers callynge doctrine shal be vpright and law full that he must nedes entre in at the dore into the shepefold that is it is necessary that the preacher be called by some lawefull and godly meanes it is necessary also that his doctrine bee trewe and godly And howe can they teache the trewth that are
And the aungell sayde vnto them Be not afraide For beholde I bringe you tidinges of great ioye that shall come to all people for vnto you is borne this day in the citye of Dauid a sauioure which is Christe the Lorde And take this for a signe ye shall fynd the chylde wrapped in swadlynge clothes layed in a maunger And stra ght way there was with the aungel a multitude of heauenly souldiers praisinge God and saying Glorye to God on hye and peace on earth and vnto men a good will THE EXPOSITION IN this gospell first of all is treated the helthfull byrth of oure Lord Iesu Christ The natiuitie of Edriste which is the wel hedde of our saluacion and of eternal lyfe Wherefore it is necessary that euen as the euangelist hath described the same natiuitie or birthe so likewise that euerye manne doo receaue it into the inwarde partes of his harte and often tymes to reuolue it in himselfe whereby he may by the meditacion of such thinges be kendeled lyghtened and made ioyful and that they maye take and kepe in theyr hertes the chylde newelye borne by the worde of faith For the lower and poorer that this byrthe appeareth to the worlde Esa 9. so muche the holsomer and more profitable it is to them that receau it by faith And that it was so small of estymacion with the worlde it may be gathered of that that Ioseph and the virgyne Mary ascended from the city of Nazareth vnto the citie that is called Bethlehem in the lande of Iudea none other wise but as the other subiectes dyd to geue obedience to they re superioures and to yeld tribute as the other did Who wold I pray you beleue that Mary shuld be the mother of God whiche went vnto the professioÌ„ no otherwise then the other plebeial one dispised sort of women dyd And likewise the euangelist sayeth that in the towne of Bethlehem she was had in no respecte or regarde of any person in so much that she was fayn that scripture mygt be fulfilled to wrappe her welbeloued sonne Christ whiche she there brought forth in cloutê and lay him in an oxe stal What singuler or particular kind touch herest thou here to be shewed towardes Marye and her sonne Christ The pouerty oâ— Mary Nothing here is els but bare pouerty Mary is dispised Ioseph is dispised the chyld is dispised Nor thou canst here hear of any man that toke ony care or thought for them But thou maiest well heare that there was no place for theÌ„ in the inne And nowe marke wel how glorious how greatlye magnified was the same birth in heaueÌ„ althoghe it was not so estemed on earth The Angel of God staÌ„deth by is presente with the shepehardes that watched the nighte watch ouer their flock and sheweth vnto them greate ioy that shuld befal to all people The shewyng of Chrystis natiuitie that Christe our Lord and souiour was born in the citie of Dauid c. Now thou seest who was messauÌ„ger of the same glorious natiuitie and howe noble a message he broughte and yet doest thou but slenderlye esteeme that thou must cal this child Christ Lorde and sauiour How cold Christ haue ben more noblier described or the summe of the gospell more brieflyer comprehended Forthermore The sum of the gospell how could this matter haue bene better or godlyer handeled then it was handeled of the aungeles yea when when those poore and simple shepeherdes were in so greate feare how cold they haue bene better comforted then of the aungel And he saieth vnto them Feare ye not O ioyfull and swete message that for al the great waight of syn brought into this world with vs we shulde not feare why so Bycause ther is to day borne vnto vs suche a sauioure that shall take awaye the sinne of the world and through his passion and deathe shall obtaine for all them that beleue in him euerlastinge lyfe Wherefore it is bery meete that this natiuitie of the which we receyue so great profite ioy shuld be glorious in oure syght Our byrthe is vncleane subdued to syn Our natiuitie is vncleane and cursed But Christes is pure without syn and holye Therfore now yf the condeÌ„nation of our natiuitie muste be taken awaye and chaunged it muste nedes be by the pure and vndefiled natiuitie of our lorde Iesu Christe What and can it be corporally communicate to al men No. But spiritually we must attaine to it by the word What word is that The same worde when the aungell saithe To you to you this day is born a sauiour By this word is comunicate vnto vs the natiuitie of Christ And yf thou wylt hear the same also of the prophet Esa 9. he saith on this wise A child is borne to vs a son is gyuen to vs. In the childe is signified the humaninity of Christ And in the son is signified his Godhed Such a child is born that is in nature both god maÌ„ To whome is he borne To vs to vs the prophete saith Here we shuld now open the eyes of faith for many ther be that although they beleue that Christ was borne yet beleue they not that he was borne for their sake And therefore set thei their mindes so much vppoÌ„ their owne workes with the which they truste to obtatne both righteousnes and saluacion euen as thoughe with our owne merites we might stonde in the iudgement of God Therefore good syr deceiu not your selfe for the matter standeth not in that case but as Dauid saith Goodlord Psa 24 enter not into iudgmeÌ„t with thy seruauÌ„t for al lyuers shall not be iustified in thy syght The frut of faithe Here be no workes required able to coÌ„treuaile but grace mercy is to be loked for And therefore he that beleueth the Christe is borne geuen that he was incarnate died rose again is ascendid into heaueÌ„ for our iustification he is clean froÌ„ sinne righreous blessed the brother of Christ the son of God And that faith doughtles lyk a good maÌ„ herafter he shal declare with good workes that is with the loue of his neighboure with honest conuersacion Secondarelye it is to be noted in this gospell what persons they were that this holsome birth of Christ was shewed vnto Poore men receiue the Gospell Vereli poore and dispised shepeherdes But why was it not shewed to the rich men meÌ„ of great power the holy meÌ„ of IerusaleÌ„ Bicause that God hath chosen such as to the world appear folish 1. Cor. 1. to the intent to shame the wordly wise men Rich meÌ„ gentlemeÌ„ meÌ„ of great power of this world haue no respecte or regarde to this child Iesus but haue their peculier and priuate God in whom they put the whole and some of theire trust that is in pride in theire great strenth and power in riches and in their mightie god
mammon Mammon And in like manner these worke maisters as thei be called haue their priuate god that is the trust in their own works and merites Of the which false god Esaias sayth Esa 2 They haue worshipped the workê of they re owne handes And I pray you what shuld the birth of Christ haue profited those men if it had been shewed vnto them Mat. 7. Holy thinges maye not be caste to dogs nor perles to swyne He that putteth his trust in any other creature then in Christ to him Christ is vnprofitable Lykewyse he that by any other meanes seketh his iustificacion but by Christ to him also is Christ vnprofitable as S. Paule in manye places wytnesseth his eristle to the Galathians saiyng Gal. 2 Yf Iustificacion come by the lawe then died Christ in vayne And bycause Christe here requireth suche a herte that shuld not put hope or trust in any wordely goodes or in his owne power and righteousnes but should holy stycke to his passion Mat. 5. death and merite Therfore he chose none but poore folkes and not such as wer pore in this world after the flesh but poore in spirite that is they that knowe all they re owne sinnes frailnes misbeleue and corrupt natur and abid only in his word And to them also saithe he in an other place Mat. 11 Come to me al ye that be laden and I shall refreshe you Also If any man thirst let him come to me Iohn 7 and I shal geue him drinke These and such like wordes the riche men and they that wil be iustified by their owne workes do not receue nor regarde of the whiche the blessed virgin Mary in her songe singeth Quod dimittantur inanes They are seÌ„t awai empty Luc 2 Therfore this birth of Christ ioiful messaÌ„ger is shewed onli to the pore shepards Thirdely we may learne of this gospell that when this helthfull birth of Christe is layde forthe vnto vs by the ministers of the gospell which for the more part in scripture be signified by aungels and we therby assertained Mal. 2. that our saluacion consisteth in the same wee maye in no wise so dooe that wee shuld be forgetful of so great a benefit or be founde vnkind therin Thanks geuing but rather shuld with continual thaÌ„kes geuing praise and extol the same and alwaies sing with the angels Glory be in heauen vnto God c. Here God is praised of the Aungels heauenly company chiefly for this cause that he of his onlye grace mercy hath geuen his onlye begotten son a sauioure to the world that through him the way shuld be to euerlasting lyfe for al men and that by his goodnes syn deth the deuel and hel shuldde taken away Ys not this benefite worthy of praise coÌ„mendacioÌ„ Yes trewly no man can geue worthy thankes therefore Neueuertheles yet we must persist to say with the prophet Dauid Ps 146 My soule praise the Lord I wil praise the Lord in my lyfe I wil sing to my God as longe as I lyue And considre here that this honour and thankes geuing can not bee yelded to God where this oure Christe is not or not throughly knowen And that no peace or good will can abide with vs without Christ Ioel. 17 And in contrary wise wher Christ abideth and by his word is wel knowen ther also the heuenly father is knoweÌ„ praised extolled as such a father that hath geueÌ„ vs his only son Christ for a sauiour into al the world And there also is found the trew peace when we beleue that God the father wil not vs to bee damned but of his ineffable grace wil receiue and geue vs euerlastinge lyfe by Christe Who I praye you wolde not be of good chere when he hereth the aungels bring this peace quietnes of harte to vs And besides all this God reioyseth in vs through his sonne And againe they that beleue doth reioyce in all his workes singing without ende Glory be in heauen to god peace in earth good wil to men The gospel on the first sonday after Christemas Luc. 2. AND his father mother meruailed at those thinges whiche were spoken of him And Simeon blessed them and sayde vnto Mary his mother Beholde this chylde is sent to be the fall and vprysinge againe of many in Israel and for a signe whiche is spoken againste And moreouer the sweard shal perse thy soule that the thoughtes of many hertes may be opened And there was a prophetisse one Anaa the doughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser which was of greate age and had lyued with her husbande seuen yeares from her vyrginitie And she had bene a widowe aboue foure score foure yere which departed not from the temple but serueth God with fastinges and prayers nyght and day And she came forth that same hour and praysed the Lorde and spake of hym to al them that loked for the redemptioÌ„ in Ierusalem And when they had performed al thinges according to the law of the Lord they returned into Galile to theyr owne city Nazareth And the chylde grewe and waxed strong in spirite and was filled with wisedome â— Reg. 2. and the grace of God was vpon hym THE EXPOSITION IN this gospell we haue sufficieÌ„t testimony of Christ that he is the trew Messias the blessed sede of AbrahaÌ„ in that which all people shuld be saued SimeoÌ„s testimoni of Christ First we haue the great testimonye of Simeon which of long time had loked for the consolation coÌ„fort of Israel was enformed by the holy ghost that he shuld not se deth before he saw Christ And when Ioseph Mary had in the day of purificatioÌ„ takeÌ„ the childe Iesus set hiÌ„ before the lord in Ierusalem according to the custom made their host oblacion Lo Simeon also through the holy ghost came in to the temple toke the child in his aâ—mes called him the sauiour sent froÌ„ God the lighte of the gentiles and glorye of the people of Israel What it is to blesse And afterward wished al thinges prosperous ioyfull to the child and his parentes and that is signified by that that he did blesse them as it appeareth in the 24. cha of gen And theÌ„ said he to Mari Lo this child is set to the fal and vprisinge of many in Israel And for a signe which shal be spokeÌ„ against Of these words of Simeon it is manifest that Christ is the trew Messias sauiour of the world promised in holi scripture or els why wold he cal him the lyght sauiour glory of Israel yf he could not help saue iustiâ—i Iohn 1. Yea if he wel not the very sauiour by whom we take our saluacion verely he mighte seme but a dispised sauiour And besides this he shuld not haue byn called the light of the GeÌ„tilê if he shuld not haue lightned al meÌ„
Yea likewise if Israel shulde haue had no cause to glori or reioise of this child he shuld not haue biÌ„ called the glori of the people of Israel Moreouer marke here nowe whether that al men shal knowe this same sauiour lyght Lo saith SimeoÌ„ he is set to the fal how to the fal Esai 8. Bicause that many shal be offended in him wheÌ„ thei shal se him go in maÌ„ner of a bondmaÌ„ or seruauÌ„t not after the fashioÌ„ of kingê princes And especiallye suche as doth not beleue but put their confidence in their own workes wil attaine to the righteousnes before God by their own workê merites not through his only grace Of the which also S. Paul speaketh in the 10. Rom. 10 cha to the Rom Thei that know not the righteousnes of God sekiÌ„g their own be not subdued to Goddes iustice And thei be such that wheÌ„ they hear the righteousnes of God coÌ„mended yet will they not beleue nor in a maÌ„ner can beleue bicause those thiÌ„gs that they do of their own wil be to be reiected cast awai Wherfore they do persecute this doctrine be offeÌ„ded in Christ do stil remaine in their misbilfee leste they shuld at any time be saued Ther be neuertheles amongst those also very many to whom Christ is set to their vprising but that is to those all only which of them selfe do dispaire knowledge that there is no name vnder the sun Ioel. 2. Act. 4. geueÌ„ to meÌ„ wher through thei shal be saued but only in the name of Christ And such be by Christ reserued to euerlastiÌ„g ioy as the prophet Esai saith Esai 28. Lo I wil set in SioÌ„ in the fouÌ„dacioÌ„ a corner stone euery maÌ„ that beleueth in him shal not be lost Now if thou desire that Christ may not be set to the to stumble at but to thine vprising go to and cast away al the hope of thine own merits embrace Christ as the sauiour of this world Mat. 16 And theÌ„ shal not hel gates preuaile against the. And if thou se the more part of meÌ„ not willing to receiue this doctrine but defeÌ„ding the righteousnes of their works The swerde shulde perse Maryes herte reiectiÌ„g the iustice that cometh by faith theÌ„ remeÌ„bre those wordê that SimeoÌ„ saith that Christ shal be set for asign or token which shal be spokeÌ„ against of meny And think you that it was spoken in vayne that a swearde shulde perse throughe Maryes herte Simeon knew wel inough that our Lord Iesu Christ shuld suffre muche paynes for his doctryne And therefore said vnto Mary that with her welbeloued son she shulde suffre also great sorowes that the secrete thoughtes of many shulde bee opened whiche although they were taken for the moste holyest of al yet shuld they be of all the most wicked Thou hast nowe here the testimony of that iust man Simeon that Christ is the sonne of God the very trew Messias and sauyoure of all the worlde SecoÌ„darely we haue here the testimony of Anne the prophetise concerning Christ Ann propheceeth of Christ And besides that that the euangelist doth describe and set forthe her conuersacion he saith further also that she wheÌ„ the verye houre came knowledged the Lorde and spake of him to euery man that longed for the redemtioÌ„ of Israel Obserue and mark now the order of this testimony Fyrst she prayseth and commendeth God for none other cause but that she knewe in this child not only the greate kyndenes of God but also that all prophecies were fulfilled and that the same acceptable time was come Ephe. 5. wherein Christ shulde be borne and to the whiche also God willed her to be reserued and kepte And trewlye all christen people oughte to geue thankes vnto God the father for his suche greate benefite that throughe this childe he willed vs to bee saued from all euell And certainlye this Anne knoweth and knowledgeth that of oure selues we canne nothing do And therfore praiseth God that he hath voutchsaued to send vs our sauioure from heauen And that al other shulde knowe the same she speaketh of him to all that longed for the redemption of Israell But what speaketh she of him Doughteles nothinge els but euen as Simeon did before Simeon told that the same childe was the lighte and sauioure of the Gentils Anne confirmeth the same and saith He is now presente before oure eyes and euen at hande The saiyng of Anna. whom they loked so longe for She frely confesseth her praiers fasting widowhed and honest conuersation to be of no respecte except by this childe through grace she be made righteous and holy and delyuered froÌ„ euerlasting death Of this place it becometh all women widowes maydens to take example folow the steppes of Anne in the knowledging of Christ in good and honests life and in the trew worshipping of God She perceued very wel that it was necessary for her throgh the truste that she had in this child to be saued that is to be iustified by trewe faith in Christ And here may it wel be vnderstand that faith must be liuely effectual And this certificat or knowledg of faith must we al haue or els trewlye the same faithe that maketh vs iust righteous Righte faith is not in vs but rather a false persuasion and opinion of Christ Christe was very man Thirdely this gospell confirmeth the article of oure faith wherin we knowledge that Christ was borne of the virgin Mary For as I must beleue that this is trew so must I also faythfully beleue that Christ naturaly as al other meÌ„ doth iÌ„cresed in age wit strength wisedome spirit not that the holye ghost was not at the first in him but that the more he was in age the bigger he was the bigger he was the wiser he was And the wiser he was so much the stronger he was in spirite before God in himselfe and before al men And to be short In that that the Euangeliste saith The childe encreased and was strengthed in spirite ful of wisedome and the grace of God was in hiÌ„ he sheweth that the same child euerye day more and more did growe in goodnes and wisedome And we shulde highly wish that our children might be like broght vp The briÌ„ging vp of chyldren that thei might more and more increase and do that is iust good This childe Iesus increased and was strengthned in spirite And we suffre oure chyldren to fall run into their own carnal lust desyre Nor we do any thing care or prouide that by the word of God they may be brought to faith and honest liuing Christ incresed in wisdome And our children increase in folishnes And wilt thou know the cause thereof Their parents be in the faut that wil not instruct bring vp theyr children in goodnes vertu nother teach them the
abide in the word Thē by by with great violence we run into the snares gynnes of the deuell And if we stedfastly beleue in the worde of god Then neither false prophet nother the deuell himselfe shal deceiue vs. And thē wtout dout he is greater that is in vs then he that is in the world 1. Io. 4 Secondarylye Christe speaketh of the seede that fell vpon the stone which although it sprange vp yet bicause it lacked moysture it withered awaye And so he declareth that the seed that fel on the stone be thei that when they hear the word of God they receiue it with ioy To fall from the worde in tyme of persecution but thei haue no rotes bicause thei beleue but for a while in tyme of temptacion and tribulacion they fall cleane away Wherin Christe sheweth that his gospell shall neuer bee preached withoute aduersaries that shall striue againste it And lykewise that the perfect and trew faith cannot be knowen but by tribulacion and temptacious so proued and tried as gold and siluer is by fier Yf thou wylt then search know what faith I haue and whether it be a trew or a fayned faith mark wel behold my lyfe when I chaunce to fal into temptacion tribulacion And yf then it be a pure and righte fayth and by the worde of god in my harte made liuelye and effectuall then muste I needes saye with sainct Paule Rom. 8. I am sure that nother death nor lyfe nor aungell nor rule or power nother things present or thinges to come nother high nor low nor any māner of creature shal seperate me from the loue of god that is in Iesu Christ Yea and I will frely confesse commend preach the word of god though I shuld dye an hundreth tymes Mat. 10 or forsake all that euer I haue had in this world For it must needes be in such case that other I forsake all and bere the crosse of Christ or else cease to be his disciple any lenger And in contrary wise when my fayth is not pure but fayned trewly thē wyl I not so hate my selfe that for the gospels sake I shuld ronne into daunger of my bodye and lyfe But then wyll I sette moste by and loue my body be it neuer so rotten and full of wormes Wherfore I am constrayned to heare Christ in an other place Mat. 16 saying He that findeth his lyfe shall lose it Cares riches voluptuousnesse be lette hīderāce vnto fayth Thyrdely Christ speaketh of other seed that fel amongest thornes and so sprong vp was choked amongest the thornes And that he expoundeth on this wise The seed that fell amongest the thornes be they that haue herd the worde of god and then thorowgh the cares ryches and voluptuosnes of this worlde be so ouer growne and choked that they can not bryng fourth frute Thow herist here repeted that suche heare the word of god yf then thei heare the word and yet be reiected of Christ I praye the what is the cause or what lettyth whye they be not saued verely euen that be cause they receyued not the worde of god ernestly and in they re hartes and for that they be founde neglegente in fayth loue and honest conuersations and fal from god the creatour vnto creatures Marke here how finely Chryst hath paynted and set oute the mindes and harts of riche men First of all he geueth vnto them cares for we commonly se that the more they haue the more the couet as it is said in the 5. cha Ecclesiastes The couetous man is neuer satisfied of money c. And he geueth also vnto thē the loue and affection of riches and desyre of this worldly lyfe As though he shulde saye To haue greate riches doth not damne a man for there hath beene sins the beginning of the world many deuout and holy men that hath had greate riches and yet neuerthelesse haue obtayned euerlasting lyfe But to sette harte and minde in riches and through them to seeke the pleasures of this lyfe not to knowe that we be but seruauntes and stewardes of suche riches to th entent that the poore and nedye maye be holpen thereby that is the very thing that condemneth a man Wherfore seing it is so with riche men for the more parte that they with all theire diligence seeke and folow the pleasures of this lyfe and do not mortefye the fleshe by the spirite but passe ouer their lyfe in all securitie and wealthe of this world Mat. 19 Christ sayeth also in an other place Soner may a camell runne thorow the eye of a nedle then a riche man entre into heauē And to be briefe Such rich men What condemneth the rich mē and men that abuse their riches in this world haue but smal prayse in scripture and in many places we hear of their condemnacion not bicause they haue much riches or that they be men of great power and might but for that they do abuse their such giftes and take their lusts and pleasure in it and do not make frends to them of their wicked mammon Fourthly Christ speaketh of the seede that fell in the good grounde and sprang vp and brought forth fruict an hundreth fold And that he declared on this wise That that fell in the good ground be thei which with good hert mind Good grounde do hear the worde of god and kepe the same and bring forth fruict in pacience And there be two thinges to be noted in that Fewe christian men First that there be merueilous few christian mē in this earth But of them that in body soule go to the deuel ther is a great nomber how highly soeuer they pretend the name of christians or boaste of the gospell as Christ doth witnes in the 7 chapt of Mathew saiyng The gate is larg and the way is broad that leadeth to perdition and many there be that entreth into the same But the way that leadeth to lyfe is straite the gate very narrow and fewe haue found the same And the other thinge that Christ sheweth vs is this that although the more parte of menne be euell and so abyde yet the word of god shal not be preached in vaine In some corner there shal be found good ground The worde of God is not preached in vayne Esa 55. wherin the good seede of the word of god is sowen shal spring vp and bring forth frute plenteously whereof god speaketh by his prophete Esaias in this wise Lyke as the shoures of rayne and snow descendeth frō heauen and retourneth not thither againe but sinketh into the earth and norisheth the same and maketh it bring forth seede vnto the sower bread to the eater so shal the word that cometh out of my mouth it shal not retourne vnto me empti but shal do all that I wil shall prosper whersoeuer I shal send it And although it seme
that the gospel is preached in vaine yet must we beleue that amongest so great a company of misbelieuers God hath some elect that gladly here his worde and kepe the same although as we haue saide the numbre of those be very small The sonday called Quinquagesima Luc. 18. IEsus toke vnto hym the twelue sayd vnto them Mat 18. Mar. 8.9 d 10. Luc. 9. c and. 17 Behold we go vp to Ierusalem and all shal be fulfilled that are written by the prophetes of the sonne of man For he shal be delyuered vnto the gentyls and shal be mocked and despitefully intreated and spitted on and when they haue scourged hym they wyll put hym to death and the thyrd day he shal arise again And they vnderstode none of these thinges And this saying was hyd from them so that they perceaued not the thinges which wer spokē Mat 16 17. b Mar. 9. Luc. 2. g and. 9. f Mat 20 Mar. 11 And it came to passe that as he was come nighe vnto Hierico a certain blind man sate by the way side begging And when he herd the people passe by he asked what it ment And they sayd vnto him that Iesus of Nazareth passed vi And he cried sayīg Iesu the son of Dauid haue merci on me And they which wēt before rebuked him that he shuld hold his peace But he cryed so much the more Mar 10 thou son of Dauid haue merci on me And Iesus stode stil cōmaūded hī to be brought vnto hī And whē he was cum neare he asked him saying What wilt thou that I do vnto the And he said lorde that I may receaue my syght And Iesus saide vnto hym receaue thy sighte thy fayth hath saued the. And immediatly he receaued hys syghte and folowed him and praysed God And all the people when they sawe it gaue prayse vnto God THE EXPOSITION The passion of Christe is oft rehersed IT is not without great cause that Christ so often times did shew and speake to his disci-disciples of his passion and death that was to come and that not onli in the gospel of this day but also in diuerse other places And to let passe the other euangelists I pray you how often times is it spoken of in the gospell of S. Iohn Ouerlooke the same euangelist through out from the beginning to the ende and thou shalt finde that the same faithful teacher Christ with all diligence did instruct strength his Apostels against the slaunder of the crosse Wherefore we shulde considre the same and marke wherfore Christe did it and why he made so many wordes thereof to his disciples First yt is manifest very plain that our nature flesh when it is not inlyghtened by the holy ghost cannot abide stedfast in time of persecution The fleshe hath persecution for the fleshe loueth herselfe and bitterly hateth persecution and deliteth more in long and mery dayes thē to abide trouble and vexacion with a quiet mynd As Nicodemus when he came in the night to Christ for feare of the Iewes Mat. 20 hard by and by of him these wordes That that is borne of the fleshe is fleshe And although the children of Zebedeus said Mat. 10 they coulde drinke of the cuppe that Christ shuld drink of And Peter also might well say Luc. 22. that he was readye euen to dye with Christ yet without the holye ghost it is impossible and is a highe presumption so to say And seinge that oure Lorde Iesu Christe knew very well the same frailenes of the fleshe not only in his disciples but in vs all he vseth the office of a good and faithfull maister and instructeth vs with the wholsome doctrine of the word of God againste persecution to come that when it shulde come vppon vs wee shulde be ready and not dispaire As thoughe he shulde saye I knowe verye well that yt is harde for a manne to stande styflye in persecution and to suffer all aduersities wyth a pacient minde but the prophecy muste needes bee fulfilled of me Doth not Zacharias say of me Zac. 13. I wyll stryke the shepeherde and all the flocke shal be sparsed abroad Wherfore now I shew you before bycause it muste needes bee that when so euer it shal be done you maye remember this and not bee offended therewith but rather beleue that it is my fathers wyll in heauen which will delyuer you through my death from sinne death the diuel and hell And although I shal dye the vylest death yet wyll I rise the third day and comforte you Thou seyste here how Christe comforteth his Apostelles whereby they may learne to haue respecte only to the good wyll of god in all tribulacions In necessities we muste haue respecte to the good wyl of God And this was not only done for the apostels sake but for vs also to learne and folowe the same In persecution and tribulacion we may not think that the wicked be as fierse in crueltye towarde vs as the Iewes were in persecuting Christ euen to very death but we muste looke to the good and mercyfull wyll of God the father whose will is that we for his sake shuld be dispised suffre persecution in this world The vse profite of the passion of Christe Secondaryly Christes intent is to shew in this gospel the vse profit of his passion in that that he saieth Al thinges shal be fulfilled that be writtē by the prophets of the son of man Yf then it be necessary that al these thinges must be done trewlye ther is no small profite hid vnder this passion And this profit doth S. Paul very cūningly shew vnto vs Cap. 5. in his epistle to the Romaines saiyng Lyke as by the synne of one condemnacion came on al men so also by the righteousnes of one came iustificacion of lyfe vppon all men And in this place Sainte Paule conferreth Adame and Christ together Adam Christe and sheweth what we haue obteyned at both their handes of Adam we receiue deathe and of Christe lyfe Adam by synne brought in death and Christ with his death hath chaunged death into lyfe By the fall of Adam and his disobedience we are made the children of the deuel and by Christ we ar made the children of God For Christe onlye for vs hath broken the hedde of the serpent Gen. 3. that is the diuell Well then is not this a wonderfull profite of the passion of Christ that through the same we be receyued into fauoure And is it not to be taken as a greate benefite that hereafter by the passion and death of Christe we shall no more be the children of the diuel but the children of god And hereto pertayneth all that is saide of the passion of Christe in the 53. chapter of Esaias and the 13. chapiter of Oseas It is very necessary that the ministers of the worde of God Harken well do diligently
our flesh as S. Paule saith We be buried with him by baptisme into death Rom. 6. c. and this is one part of this new natiuity Furthermore in baptysme the hollye ghoste ys geuen vs whych we beyng so mortefied dothe reuyue and regenerate vs agayne ruleth draweth pulleth and chaungeth vs and so worketh in vs that we sauoure and vnderstande now no more carnall but spirytual thynges Wee desire not wordly things but heauenly thinges lyue to righteousnes And this is the other part of thys new natyuitie Wher oute yt appeareth What it ys to bee borne agayne that to be borne agayne ys no other thing then to dye as concernyng syn and to lyne to ryghteousnes through the spiryt and fayth And wher so euer this is there is the kingdome of god sene and the entring thervnto openeth But I besech you what glory hath here the righteousnes of Nicodemus Truelye before god it is but durte dung Phil. 3. eueÌ„ as S. Paule did reckene and count all his righteousnes that came of the lawe he beynge a Iew and circumcised for dunge For not that whiche cometh of oure reason but that the spirite worketh in vs pleaseth god For that that is borne of the spirite is spirituall and of greate reputacion before god Therfore S. Paule to the Ephesians saith on this wise Ephe. 4 So then as concernynge the conuersacion in tymes paste laye frome you that olde man which marreth himselfe through deceiuable lustes and be you renewed in the spirit of your mynd How can reason do or comprehend these thinges when in earthly and bodely thinges he is so rude and ignoraunt that he cannot tell namely from whence the winde cometh or whether it will Briefelye to bringe to passe this newe natiuitie we muste needes haue the holye ghoste thoughe the papistes extoll neuer so highelye the righteousnes of the fleshe Thirdely this gospell teacheth vs Thoroughe Chryste we haue obtained the holy ghoste who hath obteyned and geuen vs this spirite by the which wee are newe regenerate and borne againe trulye Iesus Christe the sonne of man which allonly descended from heauen and ascended vp into heaueÌ„ But wherewith hathe he obtained and deserued this Euen therwith bicause that he was exalted on the crosse like as the serpent was in the wildernes But what serpente was that In times past the children of Israell murmered against the lorde in wildernes then was the lorde angry and sent fierye serpentes among the people whiche bote the people so that there dyed muche people in Israell And Moyses praiynge then for the people the lorde saide vnto him Num. 21 Make the a brasen serpent and set it vp for a token Whosoeuer is bitten and looketh on it shal lyue The serpent is the figure of Christe This figure applieth Christe vnto hymselfe as thoughe he wolde say I shall be crucified and put to deathe and with my deathe the wrathe of my heauenly father shall be pacefied for the sinnes of the worlde that whosoeuer is bitten with sinne and loketh vpon me whiche am crucified that is whosoeuer beleueth in me shall not perishe To beleue in Christe but haue euerlasting lyfe Beholde on this manner Christe is sette forthe vnto vs as hee that only forgiueth vs our sinne and giueth vs the holy ghoste maketh vs newe creatures the sonnes and heires of god so that we beleue and sette oure confidence and truste in him God graunte vnto vs that we may haue a trewe and perfect faith Amen The gospell on the firste sondaye after Trinitye sondaye Luc. 16 THe was a certaine riche man which was clothed in purple and fine white and fared deliciously euery day And there was a certayne beggar named Lazarus which lay at hys g ateful of sores desiryng to be refreshed with the cromes that fel from the rich mans bord and no man gaue vnto hiÌ„ The dogges came also and licked his sores And it fortuned that the beggar died and was caried by the angels into Abrahams bosome The rich maÌ„ also died was buried And beiÌ„g in hell in tormentes he lyft vp his eyes and saw Abraham a far of Lazarus in his bosome and he cried said Father AbrahaÌ„ haue mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the typ of hi finger in water coole my tung for I am tormeÌ„ted in this flame But Abraham sayd Son Gal. 6â— remeÌ„bre that thou in thy lyfe tyme receauedst thy plesure contrary wyse Lazarus receaued paine But now he is comforted and thou art punished Beyond al this betwene vs and you ther is a great space set so that they which wold go from hence to you cannot neither may come froÌ„ thense to vs. Then he said I pray the therfore father seÌ„d him to my fathers house for I haue fyue brethreÌ„ for to warne them lest they also come into this place of tormeÌ„t AbrahaÌ„ sayd vnto him They haue Moyses and the prophets let theÌ„ heare them And he sayde naye father Abraham but yf one come vnto them frome the dead they wyll repent He sayd vnto him If If they heare not Moyses and the prophetes neither wyll they beleue though one to se from death agayne THE EXPOSITION FYrste of all A description of the rych man 1. Ti. 6. Mat. 19 What it is to be ryche this gospell treateth of a riche man in whome was neither faithe nor charitye This worde riche is here taken as Paule tooke it when he said to Timothy Charge them that are rich in this world c. And in the gospell of Mathew Yt is easier for a camel to go thorow the eye of a nedle then for a riche man to entre into the kingdome of heauen In this place a riche man signifieth him whose hart is set vppon riches which thinketh on nothing then vpon riches reioiseth in nothing then in riches Finally whose harte deliteth in nothing then in that diuelish mammon And s Paul chiefly for this cause calleth these rich meÌ„ the riche men of this worlde for that that they be geuen to transitory and worldely thinges more then to celestiall thinges Otherwise if riches of themselfe had bene euell Abraham Salomon Naaman Sirus had beene damned which were very riche but they did not abuse their riches Therefore this rich man is dâ—scribed not as a good but as an euell tre Now yf ye will heare the frutes of an euel tree Loe He clothed himselfe with purple and costly linnen c. Doubtlesse he shuld not haue ben damned for his clothing yf he had not had so great pleasure in theim and sought wordly honour and glorye therin vtterly forgetting the poore Lazarus We reade of Ioseph when he was in Egipte Gen. 41 how excellently he was clothed in riche apparell and a chaine of golde aboute his necke and yet pleased god for bicause his hart was not set vppon pompe and riches And that this riche man had his
allonly ouercome the worlde and that that is in it but also ye shal ouercome death the diuell and hel And in lyke wise when I haue comprehēded Christ as a gift Ioh. 11. I must learne thereby to serue my neighboure bothe with body and goodes euen as Christe here both wyth his weeping passion and deathe hathe serued vs. As sainte Peter saith 1 Pet. 2. Christe hath suffered for vs leauinge vs an ensample to folow his footesteppes And these be the very true workes whiche scripture dothe alowe the which also we muste do to manifest and declare our faithe withall Secondarily in this gospel Christ doth morne weepe for the Iewes bicause they knewe not what was for their peace wherwith he declared shewed vnto vs the blindenes and wickednes of the flesh Wherof I beseche you can a man glorify seing so many excellent sermones so many and great myracles done by Christ at Ierusalem and those in a maner all done in vaine Where is here free wil with his power whiche the prudente and wise men of this worlde hathe attributed vnto yt Wherefore wolde not they beleue his worde and knowe him to be the sonne of god and the trewe Messias Surely it was hidden frome their eies though notwithstandinge they did both hear his wordes and sawe his miracles Wherout it foloweth that our fleshe while it is not lightened with the holy ghost and a newe harte giuen vnto it Eze. 36. is very blind indurate and wicked whiche canne in no wise know god in Christ The blīdnes of the fleshe Psal 51 This blindnes beleue verely is not in our outward vesture but is graft in vs in our mothers wombe Wherfore if we will entre into the kingedome of heauen wee muste be newe borne agayne thorowe water and the holye ghoste Iohn 3. Suche lyke maliciousnes and blyndenes we see in theym that solde and boughte in the temple whiche Iesus droue oute Whoe amongest theym knewe theym selues or amended theyr lyues thoughe they were neuer so muche admonyshed and taughte that the house of God was a house of prayer They were fleshelye and therefore as yet they coulde not vnderstande nor iudge ryghte the wordes and actes of Christe Thyrdely here is declared vnto the Iewes the rewarde and punishemente of their blindenes and infidelitie The punishmēt of incredulitye For thy enemies saieth he shall caste vp a banke about the and thy children and shal not leaue in the one stone vpon an other bicause thou haste not knowen the tyme wherein thou hast been visited O meruailous greuous ponyshment First the Iewes are ponished for bicause they wolde not knowe Christe and this is a spirituall punishment For they haue eyes and see not eares and hear not Esay 6. so that Christe myght well saye Ioh. 9. I am come to iudgment into this world that they which se not might see and that they whiche see might be made blinde But who ys able to serch the depth of his incomprehensible iudgement No man but allonly god Rom. 12 for we maye not nor can not Nowe after this spirituall punishemente foloweth bodylye punishemente in that he saithe howe the Iewes shal be beseeged on euerye side that there shall not be lefte one stone vpon an other And euen as it was tolde theym of Christe so was it brought to passe Surelye it was such an horrible cruell punishment that it is lamētable to heare Which if thou wilt know reade Iosephus de bello Iud. Now ye haue hard of the punishmēt wher with the Iewes haue bin punished with all Mat. 7. for the dispising of the gospel What thīkest thou shall chaunce and happen vnto vs which so longe a tyme haue harde the gospell and yet haue not amended oure vngracyous liuinge and conuersacion but rather haue troden vnder our feete neglected and dispysed that precious perle Wherefore yf we tourne not he hath whet his swerde saith the prophet Dauid he hath bente his bowe made yt ready Psal 7. He hath prepared him the weapōs of death and ordained his arrowes to destroye Here thou doest hear that not allonly the Iewes but all those that will not tourne to amendement of lyfe shal he punished Sometyme doth God prolonge the punishemente but the lenger he suffreth the greuouser at the laste dothe hee punishe Therefore lette euerye manne tourne frome his wicked waye and beleue the gospell leste wee perishe both body and soule Fourthlye Christe commendeth in this gospell his office in that that the next day folowyng he wēt into the temple droue out the byers sellers saying Esa 56. It is written My house is a house of prayer and ye haue made it a denne of murtherers And also in that he declareth his office The office of Chryste that hee daylye taughte in the temple It became Christe to do all these thinges for hee was sente into the worlde to teache the will of his father by preaching Bicause for as muche as goddes worde and the oute warde worshipping of god in ceremonyes which shortly after shulde be abrogated and taken away was very muche letted and hindred in the temple at Ierusalem throughe the couetousnes of the scribes and phariseis therefore wolde Christe not only teache Abuses to be takē away but also roote out all the abuses whiche did hyndre the trewe worshipping of God And what so euer Christe doth here by scripture he approueth it that hee maye do it by righte For why may not Christ in so much as he ys lord both of the bodely temple spirituall also driue out suche villains Now that Christe did here with the handes and with the doctrine that maye we not do but all only with the doctrine and worde of god For we maye do nothinge but to teache the gospell but yf that shulde be hindred and those doctoures which seeking nothing but their owne profite through teaching the tradicions of men shuld defyle the temple of god which is the harte of faithfull menne then muste wee holde our hands I graunte but not oure mouth and make suche dreamers ashamed to the intente that the gospell maye haue his righte course and florishe amongest vs. Hereto pertaineth the saiyng of saynte Paule to Titus Tit. 1. A byshoppe muste bee suche a one that cleaueth to the trewe worde of doctrine that hee maye be able to exhorte with holesome learnynge and to improue theim that saye against yt The eleuenth sonday after trinitye Luc. 18. ANd he tolde this parable vnto certayne which trusted in them selues that they were perfecte and despised other Two men went vp into the temple to pray the one a Pharise and the other a Publicane The Pharise stode and praied thus with hymselfe God I thanke the that I am not as other men are extorcioners vniuste aduouterers or as thys publicane I faste twyse in the weke Deu. 26 Eccle. 7 I geue tythe of all that I possesse And
beholde there came a certaine ruler worshipped him saiyng My doughter is euen nowe disceased but come and lay thy hand vpō her and she shall liue And Iesus arose folowed him and so did his disciples Mar 5. Luc. 8. Leu◠15 and behold a womā which was diseased with an issue of bloud xii yeres came behynd him and touched the hemme of his vesture For she sayd within her selfe If I may touche but euen his vesture only I shal be safe But Iesus turned him about when he sawe her he sayd Daughter be of good comforte thy fayth hath made the safe and the woman was made whole euen that same tyme. THE EXPOSITION WE haue two examples of fayth in this Gospel One in the Ruler that came to Christ to get helpe for his doughter whiche Ruler sainct Marke calleth Iayrus And another in the woman that was diseased with a bluddy fluxe and healed by Christe In this woman was a perfecte sayth but the rulers fayth as yet was not perfect but weake Fyrst it was a point of fayth in this ruler because he beleued that Christ could rayse his daughter to life though she were dead wherewith he confesseth Christ to be God and a Lorde ouer life and death Then if Christe bee a Lorde ouer death he must nedes bee a Lorde ouer synne forasmuche as Adam through his synne brought death into the worlde and suche a Lorde dothe of death and of synne is he that both death and synne by his death he hath ouercome abrogated and taken away But howe and to what purpose That they should haue no power to cōdempne vs that beleue in Christ For vndoubtedly we can not liue without synne whyle wee bee in this mortal life as it is written Pro. 24 A iust man falleth vii tymes in a day ryseth vp againe But the synne so that we beleue shal haue no power ouer vs nor condempne vs. Lykewise Rom. 6. although this naturall death is not cleane taken awaye yet is it so ouerthrowne that it is no more dampnable vnto vs but is the beginnyng of the true principal life Iho. 11 as Christ saith He that beleueth in me shal not dye euerlastyngly This must wee surely holde fast if we will be christian menne That is we must beleue that by the death and bloud of Christ wee are deliuered from synne death deuil and hell so that we perseuer in a true fayth we shall haue euerlastyng life through Christ And this beleueth Iayrus partly But in asmuche that he beleueth not that Christe by the might power of his worde could make whole his doughter except he had been personally present we must nedes confesse that his fayth was imperfect But what shall we say of the fayth of this woman She surely had so great confidence in Christ that she cōcluded by her selfe that she should bee whole if she might touche only the hemme of his vesture Not that the vesture dyd make her whole for as S. Marke sayth he felte great vertue go from him and speaketh nothyng of the vesture but only the great fayth that she had in Christ Wherfore Christ highly prayseth and cōmendeth the fayth of this woman saiyng Doughter be of good comforte thy fayth hath made the safe Lo there thou hast an example both of perfect and vnperfect fayth Secondarily we see in this gospel howe frendly and familiarly Christe suffered the weakenes and imbecilitie of this Ruler and with the miracle done vnto the woman augmentyng and bryngyng him to more parfect fayth For he sheweth himselfe willyng at the desire of Iayrus foloweth him straight wayes home declaryng with his dede that whiche he had taught before saiyng Mat. 11 Come to me al ye that labour and are laden I wyll ease you But what happened in the way Beholde a woman that had been diseased xii yere with an issue of bloudde holdyng her peace by fayth gat and obtayned health She had determined also by her selfe that in holdyng her peace and in silence would haue gone home againe Mat. 5. But as a citie buylded vpon an high hyll can not be hyd so likewyse it was neither mete nor yet conuenient that suche great high and excellent fayth should be hyd And dothe not Christe say in the Gospell Mat. 10 There is nothyng hyd that shal not bee openly shewed and nothyng secrete that shall not be knowen So likewyse he wyl that the fayth of this woman should be manyfest brought to light And enquireth and sayth Who hath touched me The Apostles ignoraunt of this miracle answered him and sayd The people thruste thee But the woman feared and trembled for she knewe what was done in her came and fell doune before him and tolde him the whole truth Wherin Christ commendeth her fayth before al the people not only that this should bee an example for the people to folowe but also to strength Iayrus fayth that he should not doubte but that suche benignitee and mercy as was shewed vnto this womā should likewyse bee shewed vnto his daughter Could Christe behaue him selfe more gentely or bee indued with greatter loue mekenes pitie and mercy He declareth with the very deede that he can helpe and succour vs in all trouble necessitee yea in the point of death and is ready and willyng therto But we of our nature are so indurate deaffe and blind that we wil neither with holsome doctrin and teachyng nor yet with miracle be moued vnto fayth Truely it is to be feared lest we take and receiue like ende with the styffe necked and blynde Iewes For wee can not excuse oure selues but the same that was spoken vnto the Iewes might likewyse be spoken vnto vs Ioh. 15. where Christe sayd If I my selfe had not come and spoken vnto theim then should they haue had no sinne Is not Christ come through his gospel and hath shewed the same Do we not heare his worde dayly but when do we heare the same for any amēdement of our life I pray the take it once to heart and remembre the goodnes frendlynes myldenes of Christe howe louyngly through his worde and miracles he intyseth allureth vs vnto fayth Howe familiarly he taketh and suffereth our imbecilitee and weakenes and howe feruently he desireth vs to be iust and blessed Let these thynges so moue vs that by the meditacion hereof we may not only encrease in fayth but perseuer in the same and therby get euerlastyng saluacion Thyrdly wee see in this miracle howe the woorkes of Christe are counted and adiudged in the world for foolishenes yea and are skorned and dispised For Christ saiyng The mayd is not dead but sleapeth what did they but laught him to skorne Doest thou not thinke it a miserable thynge that the creature shuld scorne his maker creatour of all thinges That vngracious and blynde fleshe stondeth well in his owne conceite and thinkinge him selfe to haue done a highe feate when it
Christ that Iudas shuld betray him and deliuer him into the handes of the Iewes Surely no man But he beinge very god that searcheth the hertes raines of al men knew it neither nedeth he any man to shewe him suche things Now that hys clemency goodnes long suffering in all thinges might appeare therfore he handleth him that shuld betray him with such mercy friendly or familiare dealing calleth him vnto penance after that fashion that he vtereth him not by name but onlye with his worde toucheth his conscience Called not hee him sufficiently vnto repentaunce when hee sayde vnto him Woo to that manne by whome the sonne of man is betrayed It had been better for that man that he had neuer been borne Doubtles whom so great mercy of Christ as in this place is shewed vnto the traytour also offered vnto him prouoketh not vnto repentance fayth surely I say that man must nedes haue an indurate blinded hert as had Iudas For Christ could hādle him no better nor with more mercyful kyndnes Rom. 2. This great paciēce of god and Christ cōsidered S. Paule saiyng Dyspisest thou the ryches of his goodnes paciēce lōg sufferyng Knowest thou not that the louyng kyndnes of God leadeth the to repentance Of this now it foloweth that not Christ but we our selues are the cause of our own destruction Osee 13 as the prophet Oseas wytnesseth saiyng O Israel thy distruccion cōmeth of thy self But Christ offereth vnto vs grace and his spirite yea that very liberally in many places of the gospel Therfore whosoeuer now wyl not do penance that mā must nedes fal into like daunger with the Iewes which would not knowe the tyme of theyr visitacion Iudas heard what he ought to haue done what doubtles should folow vpō that his betraiyng and what rewarde he might surely trust vnto except he forsoke that euil mischeuous enterpryse that he had taken in hand But dyd he repent or dyd this any thyng moue him Naye forsoth But as the serpent stoppeth his eares that he heare not the voyce of the enchanter Iudas an ensāple to the impenitent euen so Iudas stoppeth his eares shut out al the admonicions of Christ Wherfore it came to passe that by his own sinne he is dāpned perpetually And also he is set furth as a synguler ensāple to all that are impenitēt But the God of mercy and father of our Lorde Iesus Christ vouchesafe of his great and tender mercyful goodnes to kepe and preserue vs al from suche impenitent heartes and desperate myndes Secondarily after that Christ with suche frendly wordes although in vaine had called Iudas to repentance and with his welbeloued Apostles had eaten that Easter lambe he ordained and instituted the remembraunce and commemoracion of our redempcion whiche here in this place of the newe testamēt is aswel expressed and declared by figures figuratiue speaches as it was in the olde testamēt For as the pure Paschal lambe without spotte The paschal lābe signified Christ The effusion of the lambes bloud signified the effusion of Christes bloud And the saluacion of the children of Israel frō temporal death by the Lambes bloud signifyed oure saluacion from eternal death by Christes bloud And as almightie God passyng through Egypt kylled all the Egiptians heyres in euery house and left not one aliue neuerthelesse he passed by the children of Israels houses where he sawe the Lambes bloud vpon the doores and hurted none of them but saued them al by the meanes of the Lambes bloud so likewyse at the last iudgement of the whole worlde none shall be passed ouer and saued but that shall be founde marked with the bloud of that moste pure and immaculate lambe Iesus Christ And for asmuch as the sheddyng of that lambes bloud was a token and figure of the sheddyng of Christes bloud then to come The lordes supper and forasmuche also as all the sacramentes and figures of the olde testament ceassed and had an ende in Christe lest by our great vnkyndnes we shuld peraduēture be forgetfull of the great benefite of Christ therfore at his last supper when he toke his leaue of his Apostles to depart out of the world he did make a newe wylle testament wherin he bequeathed vnto vs cleane remission of all our synnes and the euerlastyng inheritaunce of heauen And the same he confirmed the next day with his owne bloud and death And lest we should forget the same he ordayned not a yerely memorye as the Paschal Lambe was eatē but ones euery yere out a dayly remembrance he ordained therof in bread wyne sanctified dedicated to that purpose Mat. 26 saiyng This is my body This cuppe is my bloud whiche is shed for the remission of synnes Do this in the remembraunce of me Admonishyng vs by these woordes spoken at the makyng of his last wyll and testament at his departyng out of the worlde because thei should be the better remembred that whensoeuer wee do eate the bread in his holy supper drinke of that cuppe wee should remembre how muche Christ hath done for vs and howe he dyed for oure sakes Therfore sayth sainct Paule 1 Cor. 11 As oftē as you shal eate of this bread and drynke the cuppe you shall shewe furth the Lordes death vntyll he come And forasmuche as this holy bread broken and the wyne deuided do represent vnto vs the death of Christe nowe passed as the killyng of the Paschal Lambe did represent the same yet to come therfore our sauiour Christ vsed thesame maner of speche of the bread wyne as God before vsed of the Paschal lambe For as in the olde testament God sayd Exo. 12. This is the Lordes Passeby or Passeouer euen so sayth Christ in the newe testament This is my body Ma. 26 This is my bloud But in the old mistery and sacrament the Lambe was not the Lordes very Passeouer or passyng by but it was a figure whiche represented his passyng by So likewise in the newe testament the bread and wyne bee not Christes very body and bloud but they be figures whiche by Christes institucion bee vnto the godly receiuers therof sacramentes tokens significacions and represētacions of his very fleshe bloud instructyng their fayth that as the bread and wyne feede theim corporally and continue this temporal life so the very fleshe bloud of Christ feedeth theim spiritually geueth them euerlastyng life For vnto the faythful Christ is at his owne holy table present with his mightie spirite and grace and is of them more fruitfully receyued than if corporally they should receiue him bodily presēt And therfore they that shal worthely come to this Goddes borde muste after due trial of themselues consider fyrst who ordained this table also what meate and drynke they shall haue that come thereto and howe they ought to behaue them selues thereat He that prepared the table is Christ himselfe The
discord to testifie a brotherly vnfained loue betwene vs. For whē we be made al partakers of this one table what ought we to thinke but that we be al mēbres of one spiritual body that we be ioyned togither in one Christe as a greate numbre of graines of corne bee ioyned togither in one lofe Wherefore they that can not bee persuaded to bee good to their christian brethren for whome Christ suffered death when in this sacrament they be put in remembraunce that the sonne of god bestowed his lyfe for his enemyes We see dayly that eating and drinking togither maketh friendes and continueth friendship Muche more then oughte the table of Christ to moue vs so to do whereby we confesse vs to be all membres of one body and acknowledge Christ to be giuen vs of God his father To whome with the sonne and holye ghoste be all honoure and glorye for euer and euer Amen The gospell on the second sermon vppon the passion of our lorde Iohn 18. WHen Iesus had spoken these woordes Mat. 19 Mar 14 Luce. 22 he went forth with his disciples ouer the brooke Cedron wher was a garden into whyche he entred and hys disciples Iudas also whiche betrayed him knew the place for Iesus ofte tymes resorted thyther with his disciples Iudas then after he had receiued a bonde of men ministers of the highe priestes and pharisees came thither with lanternes and fier brandes and weapons And Iesus knowyng all things that shulde come on him went forth and sayde vnto them Whom seeke ye They answered him Iesus of Nazareth Iesus sayth vnto them I am he Iudas also which betrayed hym stode with them As sone then as he had sayde vnto them I am he they went backeward and fell to the grounde Then asked he them againe Whom seek ye They sayde Iesus of Nazareth Iesus answered I haue tolde you that I am he If ye seeke me therfore let these go theyr way that the sayinges might be fulfilled whiche he spake Ioh. 17 Of them which thou gauest me haue I not loste one Then Simon Peter hauynge a sworde drewe it and smote the high priestes seruaunt and cutte of his right eare The seruantes name was Maichus Therfore sayth Iesus vnto Peter Mat. 2◠Gene. 9 putte vp thy sworde into the sheath Shall I not drynke of the cuppe whiche my father hath geuen me THE EXPOSITION FOrasmuche dearely beloued as wee haue vndertake to declare vnto you and to set out the deare death and most bytter passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ I haue thought it conuenient and nede also requireth the same that wee should first shew briefly what is the vse of the same passion and what vtilitee and fruit may come by it vnto vs. For there is no greatter folye nor more worthye laughter than to make only suche preachynges as should moue mennes myndes to fret at the Iewes because they dyd suche an horrible cryme against Christ by such wordes take an occasion to curse rebuke the traitour Iudas and to condempne him For surely here are to bee considered thynges farre greatter and higher then those And what thynges are they that we ought here to consider Fyrst wee ought to ponder what were the principal causes of that so great passion whiche the most innocent lābe of God suffered For if this be depely wayed and cōsidered in the heart it shall worke as muche in oure heartes as dothe the preachyng of the lawe whose office is commonly to set before oure eyes the huge greatnes of our synnes to feare vs and to driue vs vnto dispayre But nowe who were they that were the cause of that so paynful death and passion vnto Christ The cause of the doth of Christ Esai 53 that cōmytted that horrible cryme to sley the sōne of God No mā can shewe this more truely nor better then the prophet whiche sayth Because of the transgression of my people I haue slayn him Kepe this sentence diligently in thy mynde And if thou wylt so doo thou shalt haue as great cause to fret at thy selfe as euer thou couldest fynde to bee displeased with the Iewes and that wretched poore felowe Iudas And if that the Lord our God gaue his dearely beloued sōne vnto this passion for the trāsgression and synnes of his people surely we also do put to our workyng helpyng hādes vnto this passion ar also aswel as other authors of his death Haue not we synned also with other Or are we except out of this sentēce Al men haue synned are destitute of the glory of God Rom. 3 Doubtles no mā can here excuse himselfe neither is any mā free frō sinne so that he may lay al the blame vpō the Iewes for Christes death 1 Iho. 2 For as S. Ihō sayth He is the propiciacion obtayner of grace for our synnes not for our synnes onely but also for the synnes of all the worlde Therfore when thou hearest that this innocent Christ was bound scourged spyt vpō and skorned and besydes that beaten vpō the face crouned with thorne crucifyed thou shuldest then call to mynd and remembre Our sinnes crucifyed Christ that thou thy selfe hast done this that thy synnes were the moost iust cause and very occasion of all these thynges Neither must thou remembre thynges lightly but so meditate them in thy mynde that thou mayst knowe thy selfe a most greuous synner and confesse thy selfe suche a one as by thy synnes prouoked so great wrathe and indignacion of God Nor thynke not that thy synnes were light for the whiche it was necessary that the sonne of God shuld come doune frō heauen and suffre the most vyllayn death of the crosse Cōsider also in thy mynd that this passion What profite we haue by the death passion of Christ shedyng of that precious blud was done for thy welth profite that thy synnes and all thy trāsgressions should by effusion of this blud be washed away so thou deliuered frō al thy synnes mightest be made the sonne heyre of God Nowe if thou by fayth takest hold vpō this with all the whole fayth of thy heart trustest wholly vpō it it shal make the fre frō al sinnes recōcile the vnto the heauenly father and bryng perpetual ioy eternal felicitie vnto the. Euen as S. Paule sayth Christ Rom 5. when we were yet weake accordyng vnto the tyme died for the vngodly And scarce wyl any mā dye for the righteous Yet peraduenture some mā dare dye for a good man But in this hath God set out his loue towarde vs that when we were yet synners Christ dyed for vs. Muche more now that we be iustifyed in his bloud we shal be saued frō the wrath by him c. After this maner the woundes of Christ may be vnto the a preachyng of the lawe when thou callest to mynde that he suffered them for thy synnes And agayne when thou remēbrest
glorious name SecoÌ„darily note that the Iewes wyll haue Cesar for their Lord An horrible thyng to refuse Christ but they wyl not acknowlege Christ to be their kyng For thei cry away with him away with him Nowe is not this most ingratitude afore God that when he hath sent to them his only begotteÌ„ sonne a sauior whoÌ„ they so many yeres had loked trusted for nowe with suche crueltie to cast him froÌ„ them Thei might doubtles haue receiued Christ been deliuered froÌ„ sinne death deuil hell but thei will rather refuse Christ serue a forein lorde perishe bothe body soule And for this purpose they more wylliÌ„gly desired to let go a notable murtherer BarrabaÌ„ to pardon him because of their feastful daies custome then Christ To this ê‘taineth also that thei sayd to Pylate Wryte not kyng of the Iewes but that he sayd I am king of the Iewes What is this but to refuse Christ to cast him from theim But what is wont to folowe suche coÌ„tempt Truly this Note what foloweth coÌ„tempt of the word of God Mat. 8. Rom. 11 That the childreÌ„ of the kyngdome be throwen out and the poore Gentyles bee receyued into their place as S. Paule also sayth By their fal health chaunsed vnto the GeÌ„tyles that he might prouoke them to be zelous after them For if the fall of them be the riches of the worlde the minishyng of them the riches of the heathen howe muche more should it bee so if they all beleued yet it is done for theim that shall be receyued that theyr nombre may bee fulfylled For in the Actes of the Apostles sainct Paule sayeth that the Gospell and woorde of God must fyrst bee preached vnto the Iewes Act. 13 but because they thurst it from theim and iudged them selues vnworthy eternal life wee must turne vnto the heathen And this punishment is a plage of the soule And this blyndnes haue the Iewes dearely bought because they persecuted with suche hatred suche stubburnes their Messias kyng promised vnto them so mocked skorned him and nayled him vnto a crosse Besides this thei escaped not also corporall punishement Corporal punishement For they lost their bodyes honours all their goodes wife children and were banished from their owne countrey insomuch that vnto this daye there lyueth no people vnder the Sunne more wretched forsaken and dispised and that for this cause as I haue sayd that they would not receiue this Christ for their king What thinke you shal chaunse vnto vs if we nowe in oure tyme hauyng the worde of God so rychely among vs we reade and heare it dayly yet so yrke and be werye of it that neither would wee heare it or reade it Surely we be like the Gergesines For as they desired Christ to depart vnto some other countrey out of their coastes so we had muche rather that Christ should departe into some other straunge countrey then we wold for his woordes sake lose any of oure gaynes honor or riches Surely God will punishe suche vnthankefulnes in vs except we be turned do penance other wise dispose our selues towarde the woorde of God For euen so sayth sainct Paule to the Romaynes If God spared not the natural braunches take heede leste it come to passe that he spare not thee Thyrdly considre here reuolue in mynde with what wrath wodnes and furour the Iewes drewe Christ out of the citie hanged him vpon the crosse that not at aduenture but of set purpose betwene two theues and murtherers as the worste and one that had most greuously offeÌ„ded in like cryme with them When thou coÌ„siderest thy selfe and reuoluest this in thy mynde knowe thou that thou must not so muche consider the malice of the Iewes as thine owne most greuous synnes God is extreme enemy to synne And this lesson must thou learne in this most dispised and villaynous death that God is an extreme enemye vnto synne For is he not moste highly displeased with it is an vtter enemye vnto it when he would receiue none other satisfaction for it but the death of his only begotteÌ„ sonne Thoughe nothyng els were yet verely this should ouerthrowe our consciences that we might learne to knowe our sinnes and viciate nature and to seke with heartie intercessioÌ„ yea with teares the clemency and mercy of Christ Our sinnes crucified Christ For certainely those do farre sorer torment Christ that wil be called christians yet consider not why Christe would dye for theyr synnes then did the blynde Iewes that crucifyed him For if the Iewes had knowen him sayth S. Paule they would in no wise haue crucified the Lord of glorye 1. Cor. 2 But when do wee acknowlege oure synnes When do we apprehend the meryte of Christ by fayth Where is oure thankefulnes for those so many and so great vnspeakeable benefytes Yea wee dare plucke this Christes glory froÌ„m him whiche he hath so dearely bought that it can not be expressed and we seke newe waies whiche we also prescribe vnto righteousnes eternal helth Iusticiaries as al iusticiariers do whiche are persuaded in coÌ„science that they may by their owne righteousnes and vertues worthily deserue no lesse then heaueÌ„ it self eternal saluacion But certifie if we by our owne workes and our owne powers might obtayn helth and eternal life then it must nedes folowe that Christ suffered suche vexacion greuous paynes yea offered himselfe vnto so horrible a death passion but vainly for his pleasure and phantasy euen as S. Paule saith If rightwisenes came by the law Gala. 2. then is Christ dead in vain Wherfore if thou wylt bee thankeful vnto Christ for his passion death consider it well and knowlege that thy synnes haue geuen hym those woundes in his body and that for them he suffered that most painful passioÌ„ Then pray vnto him that it will please him to geue thee the merite of his passioÌ„ vnto thy profite For if thou do this with true fayth then wyll he forgeue the thy synnes washe away all thyne iniquities in his owne bloud Of this there is no doubt for he him selfe sayth in the gospel of sainct Ihon Ihon. 3 As Moses exalted the serpent in wildernes so must the sonne of man be exalted that euery maÌ„ that beleueth in him shal not perishe but shal haue life eternal And this is confirmed by all places throughout all the scripture that spake of the passion of Christ as is this senteÌ„ce of S. Paule to the Rommaynes Rom. 4 Christe dyed for our synnes hath risen again for our iustificacion And without doubt Note wel this senteÌ„ce whosoeuer suffereth this article of the death and passion of Christ of his blessed bloud sheding to be taken from him needes must that man at the houre of death when his conscience shall haue that great conflict with synne dispayre yea thoughe he had
in one heape gathered together the merites of all sainctes that euer were since the beginnyng of the worlde For in this matter that pertayneth to remission of synne iustificacion and eternal health it is not required to worke The Euagelist allege the scripture but to beleue Obserue also and note diligently that the Euangelistes describyng the passion of Christ howe the Iewes entreated him thei many tymes haue respect vnto the scripture which shewed before the selfe same thinges the which scripture thei also alege as in this place where thei shewe howe he was crucified betwene ii theues Also howee the souldiers cast lotte for his garmentes c. Neither do they this for any other purpose but to admonishe vs to direct our eyes vnto the scriptures and euer more in matter appertainyng vnto saluacion to waygh them direct oure iudgement accordyng to the same Fourthly Christ hangyng vpon the crosse doth excedyngly set furth that his moste heartie loue toward vs in this Christ is careful for his elect that he cōmendeth his most derely beloued mother to the Apostle Ihon againe Ihō vnto his mother that he might be to her as a defender and comfortable patrone in that her extreme necessite and trouble For as he nowe is careful for his mother prouideth for her euen so is he careful and prouideth for al that loue his name receiue his gospel and through faith repose it in their heartes and so furthermore shewe it furth of theyr heartes doyng the workes of it through loue And that we might ascertainly chalenge to our selues suche clemency and goodnes in Christ therefore he sayth in another place Who is my mother Luc. 8. or who are my brethren Truely whosoeuer dothe the wylle of my father that is in heauē he is my brother and syster and mother Christes mother By these woordes thou mayest well perceyue that Christ wyll take thee for his brother syster yea and for his mother also wyl euen so acknowlege thee if thou beleue in him and not onely will he defende and surely kepe thee in this life but also he wyll conserue the into eternal life Only let this be thy heartie study to do the will of his father that is in heauen But what calleth he the wyll of his father This is the will of him that hath sēt me Ihon. 6 euen the fathers that euery man that seeth the sōne and beleueth in him should haue life eternal and I wyl againe rayse him in the last day In this place he playnly euidently sayth We must be armed with the scripture against temptacion that he that beleueth in him doth the wyll of his father And truely it is very necessary for vs earnestly to considre those examples that sheweth what mynde Christe beareth vnto vs. For the tyme wyll come yea it is all ready at hand that these places of scripture shall do vs excedyng muche good and singularly comforte vs in all oure necessitee and troubles But if persecucion fynde me here vnarmed sure it is that I shal not cōtinue constant but sodenly forgette God and seeke helpe and cōforte at creatures And what shal then chaunce to me Truly this that for mine vnthākefulnes God wyll forsake me and because I am not armed with his worde therfore wyll he withdrawe his hand from me and forsake me so that I shal fal into destruction and for euer perishe bothe in body and soule Fyftly we see that Christe when he nowe knewe that al thynges were finished and he had tasted the vyneger and had sayd It is ended He bowed his head gaue vp the spirit That he cryed I thrust and by and by vyneger is geuen him to drynke Psa 69 it was done for this cause that we should beleue seyng that all thynges done in this passion agree so wel with the scriture that this mā without doubt is the same Christe whom the holy fathers haue so long tyme before wayted for And that before he dyed he cryed It is ended This is so excellent a worde and so precious All our saluaciō in Christ onely that not onely it is be grauē in oure heartes by fayth but also bee in all places written euen with letters of golde before our eyes Wyll you knowe why Herken We were by nature the children of wrath condempnacion so burthened in synne vnfaythfulnes that wee should perpetually haue perished if wee had not been succoured and helped Therfore onely this Iesus Christe our Lorde assisted vs with his helpe and comforte And bicause afore the heauēly father we could find no fauour or grace without oblation and sacrifice therfore Christ offered him selfe vpon the crosse for vs reconciled his father with his owne blud and obtained of him for vs fauour forgiuenes righteousnes and eternall life Heb. 11. as the epistle to the Hebrues saith With one offering hath he made perfect for euer those that are sanctified I besech you what could we more desier or what greater benefites may be done vnto vs Sin is conquered death is conquered the diuel hel are conquered so that we may now freely sai 1 Co. 15. Death is swalowed into victory Death wher is thy sting Hel wher is thy victory But thankes to god that hath gyuen vs the victory by our lord Iesus Christ Christs glorye must be giuen hym ōly This now is our dueti that we remembre to giue to Christ only this his glory honor to knowledg him for our high Byshop which offered him self for vs and so by his passion and death finished and brought to perfecte ende all our saluacion For if we nowe giue to hym this his honor as our duty is and stedfastly beleue that al this that was done was done altogither for vs and for our saluacion douteles we shall so haue it that this his merite shall not be taken as vaine or frustrate but of most greatest strength efficacy for vs. On the other party if we wyl not giue vnto him this his glorye but rather wyll ascribe to our owne deseruinge merites and workes that thing which cost him that so great and inestimable price that is the effusion and sheding of his moste precious and holy bloud then truly we make our selues vnworthy to haue this passiō and inerite of Christ gyuen vnto vs neither are we lyke except we repent to haue ony other fauoure at Christes iudgement then the Iewes that crucified him The whiche thing the almighty god kepe farre from vs for his greate mercy and goodnes thorow the merites of Iesus Christe our Lorde Amen The syxte sermon on the Passion Ioh. xix THe Iewes therefore bycause it was the preparyng day of the Sabboth that the bodyes shoulde not remaine on the crosse on the Sabboth daye for the Sabboth day was an hyghe day besought Pylate that their legges might ve broken that they myght be taken doune Then came the souldiers and brake the legges
Psalmes of me Furthermore he opened theyr mynde that they should vnderstand the scriptures c. O howe gloriouslye goeth this preachynge of Christe forthe Christe instructeth these plaine men and vnlearned with the holy scripture taken out of the law the prophetes and the psalmes But as the epistle to the Hebrues sayeth Heb. 4. Preachinge is but vaine if it bee not adioyned to faithe therefore Christe also openeth the eyes and vnderstandynge of theyr mynde so that not onlye they maye heare hys woorde but also they maye vnderstande it Oh good preacher O gentle lorde Christe that thus faithfully teacheth his disciple and bringeth them to the knowledge of hys truth The moste best and greatest lorde our god graunt vs this grace The outwarde prechīg and the hollye ghoste must bee togither Apoc. 3. that the same manner maye be among vs in the offire of preching that is that we may with much seueritie and great diligence inculcate thy worde and that Christ may also as dililigentely teache the same worde inwardely by his holy spirite For suerly it is he that hath the key of Dauid wherwith he shutteth and no man openeth hee openeth and no man shutteth And verelye all preaching is vain except Christ do inwardly teach by his holy spirite Nowithstanding I wold no mā should esteeme as a light thinge the dignity of the vocall worde or the word pronounced and spoken takinge occasion of these my woordes so to doo for thys is myne opinion that bothe the woorde and spirite of god muste be ioyned togyther And who shall dare tontemne the woorde that Christe heere ordayneth and commaundeth and also committeth the same to his beeloued Apostels For thus he sayeth furthormore Thus it is written and thus muste Christe suffre and ryse again from the deade the third day to preach in his name penance forgiuenes of synnes among al naciōs c. In the gospell of sainct Ihon this cōmaundement and office of preachyng is more euidētly described For in the same place the Euangelist sayth thus Iho. 20 And Iesus sayd to them As my father hath sēt me euen so I send you likewyse after that he brethed vpon them saiyng Receiue ye the holy ghost Whose synnes soeuer ye shal forgeue they are forgeuen whosesoeuer synnes ye shal retayne they are retayned The administracion of the worde of God Of these wordes it is euident that Christ commytted to them the office or administracion to teache his worde ouer all the vniuersal worlde Nowe if wee adioyne this place of S. Ihon with these wordes of Christ recyted in this gospel euery mā of vnderstandyng may easely perceyue howe this forgeuyng of synnes is done The lawe That is thus Fyrst must penance be preached that is men must be brought by the knowlege of the lawe of God to cōfesse hate and abhorre their synne True penāce For this is it that the deuine scriptures call doyng of penance as wee may see in the Prophete Esaie Esa 55 Let the vngodly sayth he forsake his euil way and the vnrightwise man his ymaginacions and let him returne vnto the Lord and he wyll haue mercy vpō him Returne I say to our God for he is very ready to forgeue And sainct Paule also Ephe 4 describeth it saiyng He that did steale let him steale no more c. Nowe after that men are brought vnto the knowlege of their synnes also to hate them then must be preached vnto them and set before their eyes the merytes of Iesu Christ For to preache remission of synnes in his name The gospel is to ascribe the remission of synnes vnto his passion death and merites And when this is apprehēded and beleued there is forgeuenes of synnes not by him or for his sake that preacheth declareth this but by him and his merytes that hath geuen that commaundement and cōmission to preache remyssion of synnes in his name To whom bee honor and prayse for euer and euer Amen The Gospel on sainct Markes day the Euāgelist you shall fynde after Alhallowen day The gospell on Philyp and Iacob the Apostles day Ihon. 14. Thomas sayth vnto him Lord we knowe not whether thou goest And howe is it possible for vs to knowe the waye Iesus sayth vnto him Ihon. 1 6.8 and .11 I am the way and the trueth and the life No man commeth vnto the father but by me If ye had knowen me ye had knowen my father also And nowe ye knowe him haue seen him Phylyp sayth vnto him Lord shewe vs the father it suffiseth vs Iesus sayth vnto him Haue I been so long tyme with you yet hast thou not knowē me Phylyp he that hath seen me hath seen the father And howe sayest thou then shewe vs the father Beleuest thou not that Iho. 10. I am in the father and the father in me The woordes that I speake vnto you I speake not of my selfe but the father that dwelleth in me is he that doth the workes Beleue me that I am in the father and Iho. 16. the father in me Or t is beleue me for the workes sake Verely verely I saye vnto you he that beleueth on me the workes that I do the same shall he do also and greater workes then these shal he do because I go to my father Ma. 17 and 21. Mar. 11 Luc. 9. Iho. 15 and .16 Iaco. 1. 1. Iho. 3 and .5 And whatsouer ye aske in my name that wyll I do that the father may be glorifyed by the sonne if ye shall aske any thyng in my name I wyll do it THE EXPOSITION Christ armeth his disciples against the slaūder of the crosse OUr Lorde Iesus Christe in that most excellent sermon made vnto his disciples at his last supper among all other his moste godly exhortacions this he principally endeuored himselfe vnto to conserue his disciples frō the slaunder of the crosse and to prepare comfort them against the aduersaries of it that were commyng For he knewe right well the imbecilitee and weakenes not only of his disciples but also of all men in whom his holy gost and spirit is not yet confirmed And now the tyme was present at hand when Christ by his death should glorify the father and returne into his glorye Nowe forasmuche as the Apostles so sore abhorred the crosse rather would that Christe should after the maner of Kynges and prynces of this worlde begynne his kyngdome in Iewry wherein they might as great Lordes and Dukes rule with him therefore Christe would lead them away from suche imaginacions thoughtes vnto the meditacion of eternal glorye wherevnto there is no entraunce but by the crosse Act. 14. And thus he sayth Let not your heart be troubled nor be abashed needes must I suffre the scripture must needes bee fulfylled whiche testifyeth of my death and passion that by it I shal delyuer all men from eternall death I praye you then
into heauen with the approue confirmacion of the same For thus sayth the texte And the Lorde after that he had spoken vnto them he was taken vppe into heauen and sitteth on the right hand of God c. Hetherto Christ had preached and taught after that he was crucifyed and rysen agayn the thyrd daye from the dead and truely after his resurrection he had muche a do with the incredulitee of his Apostles to whom also at the last he shewed what he would theim to do And after he had all this doone Mar 16 he ascended into heauen and sytteth on the right hand of God that is he taketh to himselfe a newe kyngdome that he perpetually with his father beyng Lord on heauen and yearth may and shal reigne in equal power with God his father What it is to syt on the right hand of God for to conserue gouerne maintayn and defend all that are his from all euils For this to do is to syt on the right hand of God Furthermore lest his assencion into heauen should be without an euident vtilitee and profyte he would sende from heauen his holy ghost which might confirme his in the fayth make them strong in all their troubles and persecucions and defende comfort them against their threttes that hated the word euen as the Prophet did testifi Ps 67. saiyng Hee ascended into the highth and hath ledde captiuitee capteiue and hath geuen gyftes to men Oh deare brethren is not this a mightie Lord that hath coÌ„quered and deliuered vs from the captiuitee of Sathan hath geuen frely to vs his worde and spirit and lastly by this meanes hath made vs the sonnes of God Surely he that wyll not beleue and put his confidence in this god and suche a Lorde doubtlesse his vnbelif shal turne briÌ„g him vnto perpetual dampnacion and losse bothe of body and soule The whiche God vouchesafe to turne froÌ„ vs for his great infinite grace through Iesu Christ our Lorde Amen The gospel on the Monday after Witsondaye Ioh. 3. FOr God so loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleueth in him shoulde not perishe but haue euerlasting life Luce. 19 For God sent not his sonne into the world to condemn the worlde but that the worlde through hym myght be saued Hee that beleueth on hym is not condemned But hee that beleueth not is condemned already bycause he hath not beleued in the name of the onlye begotten son of god And thys is the coÌ„demnacioÌ„ Iohn 1 and. 12. the lyght is come into the world and men loued darkenes more then lyght bycause their deedes were euel For ♣ Eph. 5 euery one that euell dooeth hateth the lyght neither commeth to the lyght least hys dedes shuld be reproued But he that doth truthe commeth to the lyghte that hys deedes maye bee knowen howe they are wrought in God After these thynges came Iesus and hys disciples into the land of Iewrye and there he taryed with them Ioh. 4. Mat. 3. Mar. 1. Luc. 3. Mar. 4 and baptized And Iohn also baptized in EnnoÌ„ besyds Salim bicause ther was muche water there and they came and were baptized For Ihon was not yet put in pryson THE EXPOSITION IN this gospell CHRIST setteth out highly The loue of God toward vs that excedinge loue and charitye of oure heauenly father that he euer hath borne vnto man kâ—nde And this loue doth Christe so highly extoll and magnifye that he affirmeth that loue to haue beene the chiefe principall and onlye cause wherfore hee wolde giue his onlye begotten sonne into this worlde Lette vs therefore with most herty attentioÌ„ coÌ„sider this praise wherwith Christ setteth out the loue of his heaueÌ„ly father For in it we shal plainely perceiue what moued god to redeme vs and by whome he would worke our redemtion And what moued the heauenly father to doo thys Dyd men obtaine it with their good works Or deserued they it by theyr honest conuersacion Truly if that time that Christ came into to the worlde he wold haue iudged men accordinge to their merites and workes it was to be feared least as it happein the tyme of Noe he shulde haue drowned all the worlde with water for doubteles at that tyme ther were not very many good in al the world For euen the Iewes which receiued the law prophets and therfore ought to haue been more holier and better then the other nacions these I say were a fewe except more wretched and abhominable then anye other Then needes must ther be a far other cause of our redemtioÌ„ Out of loue and grace ar we saued then the merites of man What is it then Christe answereth God so loued the worlde Do not you heare now that our redemtion dependeth and consisteth vpon mere loue grace compassion and mercy And this loue ought well to styrre vs vp and to bringe vs to faithe For if we wel consider and weye this loue in our hearts it wil sufficiently teach vs how high ye vnspeakable it is For suerly we had deserued by vnbeliefe and our sinnes perpetual damnacioÌ„ god mought most rightfully haue shed vpon vs his terrible wrath furor and indignacion and haue condemnd vs vnto ê‘petual daÌ„nacion but what dyd he So mighty nowe was not his wrathe but his loue that not only he saued vs froÌ„ destruction but also made vs free safe froÌ„ synne death dyuel and hell But howe did he this or by what meane or mediator Wold he do this by his angels or by any other mediator or mean Nay verily But to do this he sent gaue freely his only begotten son Here againe that excedyng loue is glorified which was the cause the god would redeme vs. For truely all that euer god giueth that giueth he of grace no merites goyng before With this agreeth the saying of S Paul If when we wer enemies we were recoÌ„ciled to god by the death of his son much more now that we be reconcyled we shal be saued by his life Here also in this saying the apostell coÌ„fesseth that god receiued vs of grace ye when we were yet his enemies Finally God hath deliuered vs from our sins from hel hath giuen to vs eternall life by free grace loue that hath he done by his beloued and only begotteÌ„ sonne Iesus Christe Secondarily althogh our saluacion be gotten made perfect by Christ only yet this must we learn to knowe how men maye obtaine it And thys also doth Christe manifestly shew in this gospell That euery man saith he the beleueth in him shuld not perishe but shoulde haue lyfe eaternall You heare in these wordes whether saluacion gotten by Christe may be receiued by works or apprehended by faith Without doubte our workes do nothinge in this matter But here muste needes be a true faith and an assured confidence and beliefe in god But wheÌ„ is that beliefe and faithe trewe Fayth When